Lady Ishtar
by Lunaverserocks
Summary: Ishtar is escaping with her team but Zhao gets in the way with his temper and his feelings blocking Ishtar's way out. Zhao is scary and he does some really bad things. Rated for sexual contact.
1. Commander

"Lady Ishtar!" a young girl shouted to her almost sisterly figure.

"Ten-ten, don't move. If you move, they will kill you!" Ishtar shouted to the girl who was crying in the corner, afraid of what would happen.

"Get out of the way!" an old, oversideburned man shouted to the Fire Nation guards. "Move!" he ordered.

They moved quickly, as if already being scorched by nonexistent fire.

Ishtar could now clearly see the large gray hair that was pulled back in a tight bun, a sign of rank and dignity or honor. She glared.

"Why are you here?!" Ishtar asked loudly, making the room shake violently.

"I'm pretty sure that you could tell me why I'm here."

Ishtar stared at his feet moving slowly toward her. "Not a step closer…" she warned.

"What are you going to do? Cry to your mommy? Oh, that's right, you don't have a mommy anymore!" Commander Zhao smiled.

Ishtar moved her hands into the air. She closed her eyes and the earth around her tore itself out of the position that it was in and wrapped around the overconfident Commander.

"What are you going to do? Cry to your mommy?" she asked, taking in a deep breath of relaxation.

The army that invaded her home closed in around her. While maintaining her grip on the Commander, she summoned the water from the spring at her heels and froze the entire army in their tracks.

Ten-ten, the little girl, sprinted from her hiding place and ran toward Ishtar. "Lady Ishtar!" she shouted, "You have stopped the army, where must we go?"

Ishtar stopped moving. The Commander was thrown against the wall. "Now, we can go," Ishtar said to her little companion.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flashback to 4 years ago…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mom!" a twelve year-old Ishtar shouted to the lump picking flowers to decorate the table.

Her mother turned to face the girl, "Ishtar!" she shouted back, "what have I told you about screaming these days? We're in war right now! We're supposed to be in hiding!"

Ishtar stopped running to her mom. She lowered her vision to the ground. "I'm sorry mother…" she whispered.

"I heard yelling… What's wrong?" her father asked as he ran up to both his daughter and his wife.

"It wasn't anything," the mother said slowly.

The father had already gotten the idea that it was his daughter making the racket. "What have we told you about shouting? Do you know what they would do to us, or what they would do to you if they found you and knew what you could do?"

Ishtar lowered her head further to the ground. "No father, they could do anything to me…"

"If you know that, why do we have to keep reminding you?" they asked in unison.

"I don't know…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to the future…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lady Ishtar?"

"Yes Ten-ten?"

"They're not dead are they?"

"No, of course not…I'm not the one to kill…"

"Are you sure? They look dead to me…"

Ishtar looked down at the frozen army and the unconscious Commander. "They are so mot dead, yet at least…"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Okay, so…what do you think. This fanfic will include Zuzu somewhere, I guarantee it. Maybe a little love scene or two as well. I'm not sure.

Tell me what you think…no flames please.


	2. Past

This chapter is about Ishtar's past. I feel that you need to know what happened to her in order to know why she's going to hold the Fire Nation at their mercy, although, she isn't going to hold them literally. P.S. I don't own any of the characters or the show itself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the Spirit World the day of Ishtar's birth…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We know that this baby will be the savoir of the world if Aang doesn't come out of the iceberg in time," one of the arguing spirits in the spirit world shouted.

"Yes, but, what if Aang comes out of the iceberg in time?" another spirit shouted.

"Well, then the world will have two saviors."

The entire group of spirits nodded their heads. An old Avatar Roku pulled at his ghostly beard. "I don't agree," he argued.

"Oh why not?!" everyone shouted in agony.

"My great great granddaughter will not be used as a tool."

Everybody smiled.

"Whoever says that Ishtar should be our second hope raise your hand."

Everybody in the room except Roku raised their hand.

"All against?"

Roku raised his hand.

"All cleared then, the vote has been cast. When Ishtar comes of age, her powers will be greater than the Avatar's and she will save the world."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the human world…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What should we name her Orkaru?" the mother asked shallowly.

"Ishtar. It means beauty."

The mother whispered her name softly. "I like it, her name shall be Ishtar."

The baby in her mother's arms cried softly. The small whimper rang in the air but it wasn't annoying, it was peaceful, as if she was the greatest gift from the God's themselves. (Literally!)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Six years later…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Mother," a child Ishtar panted, "I can't train anymore today…I'm tired!"

"To bad! You still have to practice firebending today, then we will learn the basics of airbending."

Ishtar took in a deep breath and grinned, her face was tired for a child that should have been full of energy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day that Orkaru found out about his wife and child…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What?!"

"I am the great granddaughter of Avatar Roku."

"So, do you have the…you know…that gift?" he asked shakily.

Korma, the mother nodded.

"So, you can do all of the _things_?" he asked.

Again, she nodded her head. "My powers are weak…but Ishtar's will be stronger."

"She can do it too?!" he shouted.

"Keep your voice down Orkaru. There are soldiers everywhere."

"Keep my voice down?" he whispered, "Keep my freaking voice down?!" he repeated. "What did you expect me to do?! Cry and sob that our daughter won't be normal and that we have to run from everything for the rest of our lives?"

"We can do it," Korma whispered. "My parents did it with me and my grandparents did it with my mother."

"We can't possibly be on the run for the rest of our lives…"

"My parents did it, we can do it too."

"Yes, but they didn't have Prince Ozine making his way to the throne."

"So what? We can do this!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to the future…At least, to when Ishtar meat Ten-ten… Which was when she was 15…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar walked through the sad streets of a newly raided town. People were dead all over the place, children without families littered the streets. Ishtar walked up to one child that stood out to her.

She walked over slowly, examining the clothes of the child.

She knelt down before the child and smiled. "What's your name?" she asked.

The child buried her head into her knees. She was frightened. "T…e…n…-t…e…n," the child barely stuttered.

Ishtar lifted the child's hair up slowly. She revealed a small, scared forehead. "What's wrong?"

"My family is gone…" she whispered.

Ishtar grinned. "Do you know who did this?" she asked, pointing to the burning buildings and leftover structures.

Ten-ten nodded her head. "Men in red suits, they called themselves the Fire Nation…"

Ishtar stood up from the ground. "Come with me…"she said politely, "If you want to survive."

Ten-ten thought nervously for a moment. She moved her legs and stood up from the dirt. She tugged at Ishtar's shirttail and followed like a hungry kittenseal.

"What's your name?" Ten-ten asked.

"You can call me Lady Ishtar."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

So, how did you like this chapter?

Well, I have three words for you then…

REVIEW!

REVIEW!!

REVIEW!!!


	3. Royu

Okay. I don't own any of the characters other than Orkaru, Korma, Ten-ten and of course, Ishtar.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where shall we go Lady Ishtar?" Ten-ten asked in a childish voice that truly represented her six-year-old self.

"We're going to take Royu to Basingsay. (I don't know how to spell it, so do not criticize me.)" Ishtar muttered. "Hopefully they won't catch us there."

Ishtar walked to the depths of her home, not worried about the soldiers and unconscious Commander in the room that she just left. Ten-ten stared at the soldiers for a moment; afraid of what would happen when they woke up. She stepped slowly toward Ishtar and stopped.

"Move girl!" a voice croaked.

Ten-ten was thrown to the side of the wall. "Lady Ishtar!" she shouted. "He's awake!"

Ishtar stopped walking toward Royu. She smiled as the angry Commander ran up to her and grasped her wrist.

"Where do you think you're going? You're under arrest by the Fire Lord's orders," Commander Zhao whispered in the echoing hallway.

"I don't think that you want to be touching me right now…" Ishtar said plainly, showing no emotion.

"Why you smart mouthed misfit?" he asked grouchily as he yanked her arm.

A large pair of glowing red eyes erupted from the shadows.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day before Ishtar obtained Royu… Ishtar was 12…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"But, what if I don't know how to take care of something that big when he grows up…?" Ishtar asked.

"If Avatar Roku says that you can take care of him…you can," her mother sighed.

"Listen to your mother sweetie. She knows what the Avatar wants after all…" her father groaned as he threw himself on the ground from working all day.

"But…" Ishtar argued.

"No more arguing young lady," they shouted in unison.

Ishtar looked down to the ground.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day she got Royu…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You have been chosen to represent the combining worlds as a semi-Avatar…" Roku whispered to the girl.

Orkaru, Korma, and Ishtar were standing still, uptight and straight as they faced the spirit.

"Yes Avatar Roku," Ishtar answered proudly.

Her mother's hand was placed on her shoulder as if to warn off the Avatar from his next statement.

"Your life will be on the line now. I'm sure that Ozine knows that you exist. I know that he'll have soldiers looking for a child with the power to control all elements as a decoy Avatar until he finds the real one," Avatar Roku said grimly.

Ishtar frowned to the ground. "I know…" she whispered.

"I would like to speak to the girl alone if you don't mind Korma?" Avatar Roku said.

"Of course Avatar Roku."

Her parents left the wooded area enclosed by a spiritual barrier.

"There's something that I want to give you," Roku said with a giving smile on his face.

Ishtar looked at him curiously. "What is it?" she asked.

Avatar Roku moved his hands out of the insides of his sleeves and held out a large egg. "This will help you in your journeys. I need you to keep it warm with firebending though, or it won't survive the day."

Ishtar grasped the blue egg. "What is it?" she asked, wanting to know the answer.

"You will find out in time…When the egg turns red, then it will hatch to revel the power inside that will keep you connected to me at all times."

Ishtar smiled and gave her thanks as the spirit disappeared. Her hands heated themselves to a hot temperature.

The boiling temperature she emitted during the day worried her as night roared around. The egg had never left her hand all day; she hadn't eaten because she wanted the egg to be safe and warm.

Just before she was going to go to bed, something cracked. Ishtar opened her sleepy eyes widely, afraid that something was wrong. She placed the cracking egg on the table as her parents gathered around her.

A small wavy tail erupted from the cracked edge. A reptilish leg formed and then, the entire egg busted apart, sending a shower of ooze and eggshell toward everything. The family covered their eyes as Orkaru forced a small layer of earth over their feeble possessions and as Korma covered her family with fire. The baby dragon burped up a small flame.

Ishtar opened her eyes wider. "Why did he give me a dragon?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to the place where we were beforehand…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar smiled as Commander Zhao stared in horror. "What in the hell is that?"

"Royu…" Ishtar said, "Get him!"

The dragon growled menacingly. Commander Zhao dropped Ishtar's hand.

Royu moved his powerful legs slowly to get out of his own home. Ishtar backed against the wall as both the predator and his prey ran. Commander Zhao sprinted out of the hall and down to his soldiers.

"Ten-ten!" Ishtar shouted, "Are you coming?"

Ten-ten rushed down the hall to the dragon. She brushed her hand on the scaly/furry surface of the dragon.

"Hi Royu!" she smiled as she kissed the dragon on the side. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Ishtar rubbed her hand on the side of her dragon. "Good boy Royu!" she complimented. Ishtar pushed Ten-ten up on the fluffy surface and pulled herself up with the horns. "Royu…" Ishtar whispered in the dragons' ear, "We're going to go to Basingsay."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That was the third chapter. I hope that you liked it because it took a long time to think and write. Sorry that I don't know how to spell Basingsay…

But, three words!

Review!

Review!!

Review!!!


	4. Iroh

I don't own any of the characters other than Ten-ten, Ishtar, Orkaru, or Korma. I don't even own the show. No suing!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten pushed herself up against Ishtar for warmth. Riding a dragon high in the clouds was cold enough to give you frostbite after a long time. Ishtar bended the water whenever they ran through a cloud in order for them not to get wet and freeze in the sky.

Royu sighed a deep breath. Fire was emitted out of his mouth to keep himself warm. Ishtar patted his side gently. "Let's go down for a bit Royu. We'll get some rest and then we'll get an early start tomorrow," Ishtar whispered in his right ear.

Royu gladly jutted down from the cold clouds in the sky to the soft green grass by a pond below.

Ten-ten was sleeping already as Ishtar found the small hands clamped around her waist to keep herself from falling. Ishtar unclamped the tiny hands of her companion and lifted her into her arms. Ishtar jumper off of Royu and smiled as he shifted himself into a comfortable position and laid down on the soft ground. Ishtar placed Ten-ten on the furry stomach of Royu as he sighed with contentment.

"Watch her while I'm gone okay Royu?" Ishtar asked.

Royu nodded his head and placed his neck over Ten-ten's lap to keep her warm. Ishtar placed her hand on his head and smiled as she walked away.

Ishtar walked slowly as she stretched. She found bits of firewood here and there that would burn to keep animals away.

"Move old man!" a voice echoed throughout the forest.

Ishtar stopped moving. Her educated ears followed the shout to the source. Jumping into the tree, she moved quickly jumping from branch to branch. Her mind already knew who shouted.

She stood from the tree branch and watched the Fire Nation soldier hit an old Earth clothed man with the blunt side of his sharp pole.

Ishtar bit her lip. She watched as the old man stood up and took another beating from the Fireguard.

Ishtar couldn't contain her rage anymore. She grabbed one of the twigs she was going to us as firewood and placed her fingers to the tip. It burned the wood cleanly, constructing a pointed tip. She fired the sharp wood at the soldier.

"Bulls-eye!" she shouted.

The pointed stick had hit the soldier right on his helmet. Ishtar jumped from the tree and landed two feet away from the disgruntled soldier. He removed his swaying helmet and hurled his fist. He missed Ishtar completely.

He's apparently still stunned by the blast of the stick, Ishtar thought.

She caught his arm and pushed his force against himself. From hurling himself toward Ishtar, he presented a colossal opening on his left side. Her right fist pushed his stomach in the direction that the Gods never intended the stomach to go.

His eyes bulged out and rolled in the back of his head. Ishtar smiled a triumphant smile as his seemingly lifeless, but actually unconscious body fell to the dry dirt road.

"Thank you young lady…" the old man croaked out.

Ishtar helped the old man off of the ground. He dusted himself off and smiled. "Are you okay?" Ishtar asked.

"I'm fine," he said. "Nothing these old bones can't handle…"

He laughed.

Ishtar looked at him seriously. She noticed that he was in brown traveling clothes. His hair was silver and unkempt. He looked rather happy but more or less tired. His arms were chained with metal as if the guard were trying to take him away to a prison.

"So," Ishtar said. "What did you do to deserve chains?"

He looked blankly at the chains as Ishtar moved over to him and grabbed his overworked hands. She fingered with the metal and then ripped it off using a style of earthbending.

"I didn't know that people could metalbend…" he said.

"Why are you out in the woods on you own?" Ishtar asked; changing the subject.

"I'm following a friend of mine," he answered; mutely disappointed from not getting his wanted answer.

"Then, I believe that you should be with your friend instead of just following your friend."

"Oh no…I'll be fine."

"Okay then. Good luck on your expedition," she said leisurely. She positioned herself to jump back into the tree to leave.

"Wait a minute," the man said. Ishtar turned her head to face him. "Why are you alone in the woods?"

"I don't have anybody…" Ishtar said. She jumped into the air and twisted back to the old man looking carelessly up to her. She waved her hand in a leisure goodbye and jumped to the next branch.

She finished collecting all of the firewood that would keep them supplied for the rest of night against hungry predators.

Her feet tread silently to Royu. His sleeping head was over a sleeping Ten-ten. Both looked happy and content as she moved over them and placed the firewood on the ground. She set the sticks up in a pattern that looked like and undersized tent.

She grasped the largest stick and lit up her hand. The flame erupted into an engulfment of fire as Ishtar sat down beside it. She smiled and closed her eyes.

Royu started to growl. Ishtar woke up quickly. She ran to get a charred stick and threw it into her hand. The half burnt stick illuminated the darkness. Ishtar stared at the old man that she had saved during the midday.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, there's four! I hope that you liked this one. It took a while for me to figure out that I could make the old man Iroh!

Review!

Review!!

Review!!!


	5. The Trail

**I have here Prince Zuko (the hottest guy in the known Avatar world) to tell you a secret…**

**Zuko: Luna, my sweet dear friend, doesn't…do I have to say this?**

**Me: of course you do. You remember the pictures that I have with you and Ishtar right?**

**Zuko: Lady Luna and the hot Lady Ishtar don't own Avatar. But I wish that I did! I could restore my honor!**

**Me: What have I said about restoring your honor?**

**Zuko: That I won't get honor because my father loves power and he's mad that I killed his boyfriend Zhao, even though you brought him back to life for the story!**

**Me: Thank you!**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Stuff it Royu," Ishtar ordered in a whisper. "What do you want?" she asked the old man.

"I just…I wanted to thank you…I thought that the dragons were extinct?" he stuttered.

"So?" Ishtar asked, losing her patients.

"Lady Ishtar?" Ten-ten asked. "Whom are you talking to?" Ten-ten moved the large neck on her legs and rubbed her eyes sleepily. She wanted to get used to the new light before the person disappeared.

"It's just somebody that I met earlier. Go back to sleep," she ordered. Ten-ten nodded her head and laid her head on the furry stomach. Her eyes were still parted open out of curiosity. Ishtar frowned and turned to the man again. "Most people don't follow others for a simple 'thanks'."

"True…" the old man said. "But, I'm not most people."

Ishtar's left eye twitched. "I don't care!" she shouted. "Leave!"

"You have the same short temper as my friend. How about a cup of relaxing jasmine tea?" he asked.

"…" Ishtar smiled calmly and frowned again. "If it makes you leave, and if you feel happy then, sure why not."

Royu snorted a small flame of fire and laid his head back on the soft tuft grass.

"Lady Ishtar?" Ten-ten asked.

"Yes?"

"Can I not sleep anymore?"

"Yes."

Ishtar sat on the earth as the old man passed her. He gathered up a small teapot from the depths of his knapsack and placed it in the pond next to him. "So your name is Ishtar is it?" he asked.

Ishtar nodded her head that could barely be evident to the human eye in the blaze. Royu moved his head up to her lap and snorted a small breath again. She patted his head calmly, causing the man to smile.

"What's your name?" Ten-ten asked, piping up some curiosity.

"Iroh."

"That's a nice name…Want to know mine?" Ten-ten asked joyously.

"Of course young lady."

Ten-ten smiled widely. "My name is Ten-ten. It's nice to meet you."

Iroh smiled as he positioned the teapot over the fire. "I hope that I'm not intruding much," he said apologetically.

"No…" Ishtar said, "It's fine." Royu stood up from the ground. Ishtar turned her head to look at him. "Do you smell something?" Ishtar asked. Royu nodded his head. The scales and fur on his neck perked up into the night air. Royu was getting defensive.

"He doesn't usually act like this?" Iroh asked.

"No," Ishtar said, "never."

Iroh looked somewhat worried as the bushes rustled. Ishtar positioned her hand over the blistering fire and watched the bush suspiciously. Ishtar hit Royu's nose and he settled down. Iroh grabbed the boiling tea off of the fire and threw everything (teapot and hot water) into the watery grave beside him. A small sizzle erupted from the water as Ishtar listened carefully with her trained ears. She cringed as she heard the small faded voices.

"There is water up ahead Admiral. We could continue our search by ship again," an apparent soldier said to his honored commander.

"We need to get out of here!" Ishtar said at a whisper. "Fire Nation troops are ahead. Iroh, are you coming with us?"

Iroh nodded his head. "I would never forgive myself if something happened to two young pretty ladies such as yourselves."

Ten-ten smiled. Ishtar rolled her eyes. "No more mushy gushy crap. Get on Royu," Ishtar ordered.

Ten-ten jumped on the light red and white dragon behind her as Iroh jumped on behind Ten-ten.

Ishtar waterbended the water from the pond behind them and forced the fire to depart immediately. Rushing, Ishtar grabbed the feeble possessions that she and Ten-ten owned. She pushed all of the items into a bag and shot herself on Royu as Ten-ten and Iroh placed themselves comfortably on him. Ishtar grabbed the reins in Royu's mouth and pulled. Royu jerked around at first and then took off into the air. Ishtar forced the dragon to stay close to the ground, in case they had an aerial assault target. Royu speed through the ground and then Ishtar forced him to go over to the water.

Iroh was barely holding onto the shifting dragon. He wasn't only worried about himself though, he was worried about the little girl named Ten-ten in front of him, grasping onto Ishtar's framed waist tightly. Iroh only had the fur of Royu to grasp onto. Ten-ten turned around and grabbed his hands. He placed them around her body and his grip tightened, as he became milady comfortable again.

Ishtar leaned forward to Royu's head and felt the wind rush past her hair. "I need you to slow down a bit Royu," she muttered for the dragon only to hear.

Royu obediently followed his master's orders. Ten-ten's grip loosened as Royu slowed down. Iroh felt his comfort level rising again as Royu slowed down.

"Lady Ishtar?" Ten-ten asked.

"What?" Ishtar asked, annoyed.

"Where are we going to go with Mr. Iroh?"

Ishtar turned her head toward the unwanted guest. "Where do you want dropped off at?"

Iroh looked at his surroundings. "I don't much mind. I still have my friend to follow."

Ishtar turned her head toward the dragon again.

"Okay, we'll stop for the day and get our wanted rest. We should be about a day ahead of the Admiral or Commander, or whatever he is now," Ishtar said, lowering Royu's reins to signal stopping for the day.

"I have no problems with that…" Ten-ten whispered so only Iroh could hear her.

Iroh smiled as Royu landed on the nearby coast. "We'll set up here for the day and get our rest and then we will find your friend." Ishtar lifted her left leg over the neck of Royu and slid off his side.

Ten-ten followed with youthful ease. Iroh lifted his leg slowly; following Ten-ten's youth he opposed it with age. Ishtar smiled as she watched the old man work his way slowly over the dragon who wished to just lay on the ground and sleep.

"I'll go get some food for breakfast," Ishtar said. "Please, stay here with Royu while I'm gone," she said, as Iroh was about to ask if she wanted him to go along. Ishtar walked into the depths of the tree to collect food for at least two meals for three people.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Ishtar is gone looking for food…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What is wrong with her?" Iroh asked as soon as she was out of earshot.

Ten-ten looked up at him after she stroked Royu.

"There is nothing wrong with Lady Ishtar. She's just err…complicated," Ten-ten stuttered, hoping that Ishtar wasn't listening.

"Do you know why she is complicated?"

Ten-ten faced the forest beside them and looked to see if Ishtar was there.

"Our parents were both murdered by the Fire Nation…" Ten-ten whispered.

Royu laid his head down on her lap.

"Why do you have the dragon?"

Ten-ten stared at Royu. She smiled. "Royu here was a gift to Lady Ishtar by Avatar Roku himself."

"Really?" Iroh asked, interested.

"I don't tell lies."

"Well, that's good and bad."

"Why?"

"Well, if somebody captures you, then 'Lady' Ishtar might have her life on the line as well as yours," Iroh said calmly.

"I don't want to hear that!" Ten-ten shouted, holding her ears. "Lady Ishtar would never ever get separated from me! Nor would she put my life in danger!"

"What is she doing now then?"

Ten-ten started to cry. "Stop it!" she ordered.

"I'm sorry Ten-ten, I didn't mean to make you cry," Iroh apologized.

Ten-ten sniffled a bit. "You're wrong…" she mumbled.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While they are traveling at night…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Stop when you feel a presence of friend to Iroh."

Royu could feel the presence of anybody through everything even if he was over water. He nodded his head and found the tension of a teenage boy that was spiritually connected to the man on his back. Royu forced himself to go faster.

"Lady Ishtar? What's happening?" Ten-ten asked slowly, feeling her hair fly back behind her shoulders. Iroh avoided the flung back hair and smiled.

"He's found your friend Iroh!" Ishtar shouted so Iroh could hear her over the conveying wind blocking her sound. Iroh's smile quickly erupted into a frown as Prince Zuko came into his view.

"Lady Ishtar!" Ten-ten shouted. "We need to slow down, we're going to hit him!"

Ishtar smiled and frowned just as quickly. She pulled on the reins of Royu and he slowed down quickly. Ten-ten didn't know if they were going to drop of 'Mr.' Iroh or keep him as a new companion to travel the world to help the Avatar and to destroy all relations of the Fire Nation in the Earth Kingdom and the Water Tribes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Okay, this chapter was longer. Just as you guys wanted. I have to say that I am very pleased with this chapter. Prince Zuko will be in the next chapter fully. I promise you that. But, I will only update if I can obtain 3 reviews. Good or bad, I don't mind. But I'd prefer not to get any flames whatsoever. That would be very helpful.**

**Three words!**

**Review!**

**Review!!**

**Review!!!**


	6. Prince

Well, I have said this before and I hope that I don't have to say it again…I DON"T OWN AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER! I wish that I did, but that would never happen.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The unknowing Prince twisted his head at a whistling noise coming behind him. He suddenly saw a tremendously attractive lady with a little girl and his uncle?

"What on Earth?" he mumbled to himself.

Ishtar pulled on the reins quickly, causing Royu to stop fully at a safe distance away from the Prince.

Royu growled at the presence of Prince Zuko. Ishtar hit his neck and smiled at the handsome boy in front of her.

Ten-ten jumped off of Royu as he shifted uncomfortably. Iroh nervously rubbed his balding head and stared at his nephew.

"Uncle Iroh?" Zuko asked. "What are you doing here?"

"That is a complicated question to answer nephew."

"What are you doing on a dragon? I thought they were extinct."

"Another hard question nephew."

"Great," Ishtar said. "Sorry to bring the whole worried deal but, there is some troops from both the Fire nation and the Earth Kingdom surrounding us."

Ten-ten looked up at Ishtar. She moved her hands up to the stomach of Royu and grabbed the fur. She pulled herself up and sat behind Ishtar. She grabbed onto her waist.

"Great, I don't know about you two but if we go that way," she said pointing south, "We won't be totally destroyed in a battle."

Prince Zuko looked to his left and then to his right. "Leaving!" he shouted pulling the reins of his ostrich-horse.

Ishtar waited until Iroh jumped onto Royu again. She pulled the reins in Royu's mouth and forced him to go upward. She leveled on the ground as she quickly forced Royu to go at the forefront of the Prince. Ishtar moved her eyes over to his frame. She eyed him, noticing the scar and the directed position that the scar was laid onto his face.

A hand? Ishtar thought.

Prince Zuko looked over to her. Their eyes caught each other for a moment but then Ishtar forced Royu to fly into the air. Both of the animals rushed into the nearby trees and brush. Ishtar yanked Royu's reins and he stopped automatically.

Prince Zuko pulled the reins of his ostrich-horse and it stopped, only with a bucking motion, telling Ishtar that he didn't like the person on his back.

Ishtar smiled a bit and then she blushed. What on earth is this? She asked herself. I've never felt this way before…

Ishtar dismounted from Royu and started walking in the eastern direction. Ten-ten followed as Iroh slowly moved his leg off of the beast.

Zuko pulled himself down to the side of his animal and then frowned.

"What are you doing here Uncle? I said that I was going to travel down my own path!"

Iroh looked at him calmly. Ishtar stopped walking to the south. She twisted her head slowly back to the two.

"Come on Ten-ten, we'll gather food and some supplies for the rest of the afternoon," Ishtar muttered as silence continued through the small clearing they were in.

Ten-ten ran to Ishtar, past the scary Prince. She grasped Ishtar's hand and followed her through the bush. Zuko stared at the pretty girl as she left the clearing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While the girl's are gone for food…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Who are they?!" Prince Zuko asked, shouting.

"Just some friends that I met," Iroh said, sitting down comfortably on the ground.

"Why do they have a dragon? How did they get a dragon!? They're extinct!"

Iroh looked up at his nephew. He quickly came up with a simple lie. "I wouldn't know…" he said.

Royu laid himself down on the ground silently as Zuko watched. "Did you tell them your name?" Zuko asked.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"They asked."

"And you gave it to them!?"

"Yes."

"I certainly can't tell them my name! Not unless you have already told them!"

"No."

"Well, we have a stopping point at least."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

While they search for food, supplies, the works…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Lady Ishtar?" Ten-ten asked.

"Yes?"

"What would you do if I was captured?"

Ishtar stopped walking. "Why would you ask that Ten-ten?"

"Mr. Iroh started to ask me questions while you were gone yesterday," Ten-ten said slowly.

"What did you tell him?" Ishtar asked in a sneering voice.

"Not much, I just told him about Royu mostly and then he told me that I…"

"What!?"

"He said that you were putting me in danger…" Ten-ten stuttered.

"Is that what you think Ten-ten?"

"I don't know…I've been following you and I don't feel that I'm in danger."

"Do you want to leave?" Ishtar asked with sourness in her monotone voice.

"No! I have nowhere else to go! I like to be with you Lady Ishtar. I'm sorry for doubting you."

Ishtar twisted her head to Ten-ten and smiled. "It's okay! You don't have to be sorry," she said in a sweet voice. She patted her head and turned to the forest again, gathering equipment.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After they have the food, supplies, other stuff…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What's you name?" Ishtar asked Zuko.

"Err…" he answered.

"Well, Err, I don't think the ostrich-horse likes you very much."

"No, My name's not Err…It's…" Zuko said, thinking of a false name.

"Lee!" Iroh shouted! "Have you been out this long in the sun that you have forgotten your name?"

"Yes, I think…" Zuko lied.

"I know when people are lying," Ishtar smiled.

"Yep! They're lying all right Lady Ishtar!" Ten-ten said proudly.

'Lee' and Iroh stared at each other.

"Let me explain Lady Ishtar!" Ten-ten said, pausing for Ishtar to swing her hand in a 'go ahead' mode. "Well, Lady Ishtar can feel the vibrations through the ground of your heartbeat. When your heartbeat speeds up, you're lying or in an uncomfortable situation. That's why I don't lie to Lady Ishtar."

Zuko's eye twitched. "Fine! My name is…"

"You don't have to say your name," Ishtar interrupted. "I don't much care. Just as long as I can trust you."

"Sure, of coarse you can!" Zuko shouted.

"Great…Prince Zuko…" Ishtar said, sneering.

"Hm…?" Ten-ten asked. "You don't mean…? PRINCE! You mean Prince of the Earth Kingdom hopefully?"

"There is no Prince of the Earth Kingdom Ten-ten…" Ishtar smiled.

"Water Tribe?"

"Nope."

"You're Prince of the Fire Nation?!" Ten-ten shouted.

Ishtar grabbed her mouth and covered it with her hand. "There's still a battle going on over to the north," Ishtar hissed.

Ten-ten nodded her head in understandment. "Sorry Lady Ishtar…" she apologized.

"How'd you know about us?" Zuko asked.

Ishtar moved her hands from Ten-ten's mouth to inside her tight leggings. She pulled out a piece of paper. She unfolded it and held it in the kindling light. (Kindling is a small fire because they can't make a real one from the ongoing battle in the north.) It was a mug shot of a wanted Prince Zuko and General Iroh of the Fire Nation.

"I was surprised that I didn't even have to use earthbending," Ishtar laughed as she tossed the paper into the small flames.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am sorry if you thought this chapter was short but I am caught up watching America's Most Wanted. The only reason why I even watch the show is because I want to know about some of the sick things people do to others in order to fully understand and comprehend it as something to stay away from.

Review!

Review!!

Review!!!


	7. Screams

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If I did…then you'd be worshipping me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten was sleeping peacefully on Royu's stomach. She smiled as she slept. Ishtar was staring at her kindly. Her eyes wouldn't stay shut for a decent nights sleep so she just kept them open. She moved off of Royu's stomach and sat up facing the small flame left to keep them all warm and for predators to beware. She moved her legs up and walked to the bushes.

She faced back to the three people around the fire. She nodded her head and walked further off into the forest. When she got about a quarter of a mile away from the camp she cracked her neck and knuckles. She pushed her hands out of her sleeves and closed her eyes.

She sat down on the soft ground and opened her curled fists. She held out a small flame of fire in one fist. In the other fist, she held a tiny ball of earth. Both were levitating in her hands, only barely touching her skin until she heard a twig snap.

The elements disappeared. She sat there, listening to further movements and vibrations of any heartbeat in the earth.

A heartbeat? Ishtar thought.

Another movement in the bush made her back quiver. She smiled. "I know that you're there _Prince_ Zuko," she said, laying all of her emphasis on the title.

"Good for you _Lady_ Ishtar…" he replied hurling himself out of the underbrush.

"Why'd you follow me?" Ishtar asked.

"I wanted to see where you were disappearing to…" he said.

"And what would've happened if I was going to the bathroom?"

Zuko rubbed his head at the even mention of the words that would boar into his skin for the rest of his life.

"Umm…" Zuko said.

"Yeah, it's not a very good idea to follow somebody when they're disappearing in the forest is it?"

"Not right now it's not…"

"Good. Have you learned your lesson?" Ishtar asked, standing up.

"Sort of."

"Good…" Ishtar smiled, placing her hand on his shoulder and smiling in the darkness.

"What's up with the dragon? How'd you get him?" Zuko asked.

"That's between me and Ten-ten."

Zuko sat himself down on the ground, facing a tree. Ishtar sat down next to him. Her arms flung behind her head and then she sat back into the dirt, her hair pressing up against the smooth and yet very comfortable dirt. Zuko followed calmly.

"What's up with you being banished as I have heard over the years?" Ishtar asked.

"What?!" Zuko asked, flinging himself up into a sitting position.

"Now you know what's it's like to be asked an uncomfortable question. Do you like it?" Ishtar asked calmly.

"No, absolutely not!" Zuko shouted.

"Great. Show some respect for other peoples feelings then."

Zuko's eye twitched. Ishtar laughed.

"What's so funny?!"

"You're Uncle's right. We have the same little eye twitchy thing."

"What else has he told you about me?!" Zuko asked as an order.

"Not much. He doesn't really trust me much. What's with the whole story about leaving your Uncle behind in the path of firebending guards to catch him?" Ishtar asked.

"They caught him?" Zuko asked sadly.

Ishtar stared at his face and grinned. "I caught the guards and knocked them out," Ishtar reassured.

Zuko leaned back into the dirt. There was no smile, grin, or any sign of emotion at all. Ishtar looked over to him in the moonlight. His face was bright and pure white. Ishtar smiled from his unknown purity.

"Why are you staring? Is there something on my face?" Zuko asked.

Ishtar blushed. "No, I'm sorry for staring."

Ishtar felt a small notch in her stomach and jumped straight up into the air. She landed on the ground quickly, in order for Zuko to not know that she had an airbending ability.

"What's up?" Zuko asked.

"Something's wrong…" Ishtar whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"Stuff it!"

Ishtar listened to her surroundings. Something was wrong, but it wasn't with them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Ten-ten and Iroh…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten woke up with a start. She had a feeling in her gut that she inherited from Ishtar. Iroh had already been awake and peering around with his left eye slightly open. He wasn't comfortable with his surroundings and his mind was forced to go into its military survival mode.

Ten-ten opened her right eye and looked around. Royu had been awake too, only pretending to sleep. He breathed in profoundly, giving Ten-ten a warning breath that somebody was in the vicinity.

Feet walked across the small clearing. Ishtar wasn't anywhere to be seen.

Had they already gotten Lady Ishtar? Ten-ten wondered.

Where is Zuko? What about Ishtar? Iroh asked himself, knowing that Ten-ten was wondering the same thing. Royu's back shook and then Ten-ten swerved herself up. She faced a grinning Commander Zhao two inches over herself.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ten-ten screamed.

Iroh stood up and pushed Zhao only to be surrounded by soldiers of his homeland.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Ishtar and Zuzu…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar and Zuko stared at the tree in horror. Both had heard the scream.

"Move!" Ishtar ordered as she grabbed his hand.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You know that you like that cliffhanger! I bet that you hate me right now for cutting it off there. Well, no matter how much you hate me…you're bound to review to tell me.

I will only update if I can obtain 3 reviews. I don't want flames. Constructive criticism, that's okay. NO FLAMES!

Well, three words…

Review!

Review!!

Review!!!


	8. Commander Talks A Lot

I would like to announce the addition to Lady Ishtar called Lady Ishtar V2. It's a little more 'Adult' than this version because it shows that Zhao has a little more 'feeling' than he's supposed to have than a certain prisioner. I have to warn you that it does contain SOME spoilers but not a lot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko forced himself off of the ground as Ishtar sprinted ahead. Her breath was pure and deep as she gained momentum. Zuko, she could hear, was a couple yards away from herself. She forced herself to go faster as she heard another scream that she knew was emitted from Ten-ten's mouth.

"Zuko!" Ishtar shouted. "Catch up already!"

Zuko heard the shouts from Ishtar and sped up.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Ten-ten and Iroh…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Iroh stared at the people around him. Royu started to stand in order to attack but he was forced down to the ground by a dart that was shoved in his side. Zhao laughed. His smile was still two inches from Ten-ten.

He was leaning over her creepily. Her screams had made him angry enough for him to punch her to the side.

She was crying to the dirt. Iroh felt bad for not protecting the girl. His heart was torn to pieces as she sobbed.

Zhao grabbed her hair and forced her up to face him. "Where is she?" he asked.

"Who?" Ten-ten asked, hissing and crying.

"You know 'who' I'm talking about…" he smiled.

Ten-ten shuddered and felt his breath on her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuzu!!…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar stopped short of the destination. Zuko started to run past her but she grabbed his shirt.

"What are you doing? She's screaming. We have to help them!" Zuko shouted.

Ishtar placed her hand over his mouth. "We can't go anywhere without a plan. Nobody will benefit from us just barging in and not being helpful," Ishtar whispered, removing her hand.

"What are we going to do?" Zuko asked.

"We're going to barge in and attack them any way possible. Do you promise to try your best?"

"Of course!" Zuko whispered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten!!…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Let me go!" Ten-ten ordered, grasping the base of her hair.

Zhao still had a firm grasp on her hair and was pulling her around as he walked over to Iroh.

"I'm guessing that you teamed up with her. Where is she?" Zhao asked.

"I won't tell you," he lied.

Zhao threw Ten-ten to one of the nearest soldiers. He grabbed her arms and placed them around her back. Her face was red from the tears that she had outpoured when Zhao punched her face. The right side of her face burned but she still had courage in her heart that Lady Ishtar would come.

"Tell me or I kill the girl," Zhao threatened, placing a steaming hand up to her throat.

Ten-ten became tense. The grip on her hands tightened and her eyes became teary.

"If you kill her, then I defiantly won't tell you anything and you'd have a mark on your face for the rest of your short life by Ishtar herself," Iroh smiled.

Zhao's left nostril quivered. He walked over to Ten-ten and punched her in the gut. The soldier dropped her as she curled herself in the dirt. Blood started to gush from her mouth as Iroh forced his feet forward and punched all of the surrounding soldiers.

Ishtar was watching from the bushes. Her teeth clenched themselves.

"Lady Ishtar…" Ten-ten struggled to whisper. "Where are you…?"

Every muscle, bone, and tendon tensed and clenched itself. She barricaded out of the bushes and punched Commander Zhao squarely in the jaw.

He was sent flying backwards and into the tree. He forced his body back into a standing position as he rubbed his jaw.

"So, you crept out of the tree house?" he asked smartly.

"Looks like it…" Ishtar mocked.

Zuko watched from the trees and then forced his muscles to move. He pushed himself to help his Uncle. He punched a soldier out cold and smiled in the moonlight.

Ishtar peered down at Ten-ten and frowned. "So," she said creepily as the remaining soldiers were punched out of the way. "What did you do to her?" she asked as she nodded her head toward the girl at her heels.

"I didn't do anything that she didn't deserve," Zhao smiled.

"And what vendetta do you have against a six-year-old?" Ishtar asked smoothly as Zuko and Iroh walked beside her.

"It's not the girl I have a vendetta against. It's you. Anyone traveling with you is you," Zhao said.

"Iroh, please take Ten-ten and Zuko away from here. I want to deal with Commander Talks A Lot myself," Ishtar whispered.

Iroh nodded and grabbed Ten-ten by the shoulders. He lifted her into his arms and carried her out of the clearing with Zuko at his side. Zuko looked back to Ishtar. He turned his head away with confidence in his eyes that she could defiantly beat him.

They left the clearing and Ishtar prepared herself to attack the Commander. He stepped back a bit, knowing exactly what she could do.

"What are you going to do now? There is no rock wall to throw me against so, there's not much of a chance of you knocking me out."

"Who sent you to follow us?" Ishtar asked seriously.

"The Fire Lord himself of course."

"Don't you have a life?"

"Yeah…catching you and then I can actually start one."

"Why don't you just run?" she asked, playing around in his head.

Zhao glared at her. Twelve years in Fire Nation Academy told him that she was messing with the contents of his 'never go in or you'll die' mind. He started to smile.

Ishtar bared her teeth. His cocky smile angered her and he knew it.

"Why don't you just give up and come with me?" Zhao asked, stepping toward her. Her hands went down to her side as she looked down at the ground. He continued to strut over toward the girl. He grasped her shoulders and squeezed them. His smile became small. His face leaned over to her ear. "Are you giving up?" he asked, moving one of his hands off of her shoulder.

"It depends I guess…" Ishtar sighed confidently, leading him into her trap.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Zuko and Iroh…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I can barely see them in the dark! What's she doing?" Zuko asked, whispering as they watched Zhao lean over Ishtar cockily.

"I hope that she has a plan…" Iroh said, almost instantly knowing that she was playing the sexy role.

"Plan? What plan?" Zuko whisper-shouted. He squinted to make out the black blobs. "He's pretty much sexually assaulting her right now!"

"That'd be her plan."

"How is that a plan?"

"How would I know Zuko!"

"You're the mastermind General!"

"Yeah well you're prince to the Fire Nation!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back with the sexually assaulting Zhao…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you mean it depends?" he asked, his smile disappearing.

"Easy…" Ishtar said, not explaining in her one word given. Her mind was placing the pieces together. How do I get him knocked out or thrown to the ground in order for me to escape without using a high level of earthbending? Ishtar thought because she knew that Iroh and Zuko were watching from afar.

The effect of Royu's dart started to wear away. He pushed himself up into a weak standing position and blocked the view to Iroh and Zuko. Zhao knew that a weak dragon wasn't going to produce enough energy to spit flames or be stupid enough to waste his energy at all when his Master needed a getaway car (or animal…).

Zhao smiled again. He grabbed Ishtar's shoulder with his free hand. "The kid was pretty weak," he said, changing the subject. "I would think that somebody who is as powerful as you would be accompanied by a stronger person."

"You have no idea what kind of untapped power that little girl has…" Ishtar replied smoothly, defending her young, simple companion.

"Oh, really? Maybe we could talk about it while you're on my ship on the way to the Fire Nation."

"Nah…I wouldn't feel like talking then."

Zhao dropped his guard and placed all of his though in the conversation. Now! Ishtar thought.

She pushed him to the dirt and crept to his side. She flicked his forehead and smiled. He was shocked. "How did you…?" he stuttered.

"You dropped your guard Commander," Ishtar smiled.

"It's Admiral to you."

Ishtar kneeled over him. Her soft face was almost touchable to him. It was soft, clean and well kept for being on the run. She was almost like the perfect girl. He suddenly had a small attraction to her. It wasn't a simple 'I catch you and I get rewarded' attraction, it was almost a 'like' feeling. His breathing deepened. Ishtar smiled again.

Great. The entire plan worked, she thought.

Ishtar pushed herself off of the ground and moved out of the clearing, feeling the small embers of the small flame left that was growing from Zhao's emotions.

Oh God…is that lust? she asked herself.

Her smile ran away as she walked toward Iroh and Zuko.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zhao is going to have those feelings again…don't worry. I've been thinking ahead in my head and I want to make Ishtar scream but I want your opinion. I don't think that she's the type to scream…but then I didn't think that Zuzu was the type to scream until flames engulfed his body when his boat blew to bits…I would appreciate your opinion.


	9. Time Skip

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I have to warn you that there is a time skip in this chapter…don't complain! Um, Zuko does team up with Ishtar in the time skip and she has comrades…just so you don't get confused…Zhao also starts to get a little more intimate in the future chapters…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What did you do?" Ten-ten asked as her small blue eyes opened themselves after a rigorous healing exercise excluded from Ishtar's body.

Ishtar frowned. "He punched your gut to make you pass out and the first thing that you ask is what I did to him?" she frowned.

"Sorry Lady Ishtar but I want to know…"

Ishtar giggled a bit and shook her head. She rubbed Ten-ten's hair and smiled to face the rising sun. "I didn't do anything to him…" she sighed, frowning.

"How is he here?!" Zuko shouted. "I killed him!"

"What?" Iroh asked.

Apparently Iroh had never heard his nephew say that before.

"I wanted to help but he ignored my hand!" Zuko shouted, defending himself.

"What do you mean that you killed him?" Ishtar asked, bending her body to face him.

"Err…" Zuko stuttered blushing as Ishtar curved. "The Ocean spirit was mad and grabbed him because he killed the Moon Spirit. I held out my hand and he rejected it…"

Ishtar's eyes became sharp from the mention that Zhao had killed the moon spirit.

"Lady Ishtar?" Ten-ten asked.

"What?" Ishtar said.

"Wouldn't there not be a moon if there wasn't a moon spirit?"

"The Northern Water Tribe Princess gave her life for the spirit," Zuko sighed.

"Great. I've heard this story so I'm going to sleep," Iroh smiled as he clasped his hands and fell to his side.

Ishtar looked at Zuko and he slowly crept down to his left side, staring into the sky above him. Ishtar laid her head down on the ground and Ten-ten followed, her eyes eagerly watching what her mentor was doing.

Ishtar dreamt for what seemed like forever. She awoke in the morning to Iroh getting himself off of the ground. Ten-ten moved her arms and grinned in her sleep. Ishtar moved her head and moved up to Royu's face. She patted his head as he groaned, sending a shower of dust everywhere with a push of his nose. Ishtar coughed and then stood up, stretching as Zuko bolted up.

"Have a nice sleep?" Ishtar asked.

"I've slept better in a bed…"

Ishtar giggled and then mentally slapped herself. Showing emotion wasn't what she was trained to do. Ten-ten rose into the air and moaned. "Bad dream again?" Ishtar asked to Ten-ten.

Ten-ten nodded her head as she rubbed Royu's mane. She jumped on his back. "Where are we going?" Ten-ten asked as she laid on Royu, her body stretching out on him.

"Haven't decided yet…" Ishtar sighed as Zuko walked away into the forest. Iroh came back, his face lighting up when he saw everybody awake. He sat down on the ground and sighed as he placed his hands in his lap. Ishtar knelt to him and grinned. "Where are you guys heading?" Ishtar asked him politely.

"I think that Zuko still wants to head out on his own. I still plan on following him," Iroh sighed as he rubbed his beard and pulled down.

Ishtar smiled. "If you want me to help you at all, you just have to whistle. Royu can hear your voice tone," Ishtar said as she jumped on Royu. Ten-ten grabbed Ishtar's waist. "See you later…" she smiled.

Zuko walked back into the camp area as Ishtar and Ten-ten flew off with Royu. "I thought that they'd never leave," he whispered.

"They were nice. I think that Ishtar was trained a little to strictly on military command…" Iroh admitted.

Ishtar flew Royu up into the sky, wondering if they would ever see Iroh and Zuko again. She smiled and then grinned as they flew higher, noticing that a ship would be somewhere close by.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One year later…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her hand moved across the bars that forced her to stay locked in.

Where am I? she asked herself.

Her eyes opened themselves and became focused to the small fire that lit up the prison cell located on Admiral Zhao's ship. She rubbed her head and frowned. A Fire Nation soldier walked past the cell and looked at her. He turned on his heel and walked briskly back to where he came.

Ishtar moved her head into the air and cracked it. Something didn't feel right other than the fact that she was caught in a prison cell.

She strained herself to stand. Her legs moved and then forced themselves up. She lasted two second in the air and them gravity kicked itself into gear. She fell to the cold metal floor only covered by a thin layer of hay that was supposed to be bedding. Her breath was weak as she focused. Metalbending wouldn't work as she tried to bend the metal. She looked out past her cell and found her other companions. Axe was lying on his side, unconscious. Ashley was awake and quivering in the cell next to Axe. Poor Ten-ten was trying to talk to the shaking Ashley but it wasn't working. Ishtar knew that Ashley wouldn't listen to her from what the Fire Nation did to her the last time she was caught. Zuko was spaced out in the darkened depths of his own cell. Tamari was whispering to Ten-ten and Ashley about their leader being awake.

Ashley stopped her quivering and Ten-ten and Tamari stared. "Thank the heavens that you're awake Lady Ishtar!" Ten-ten shouted.

Zuko moved himself out of the shadows to stare at the girls. He smiled a bit with hope as he met Ishtar's eyes. "We thought you went to the spirit world Lady Ishtar!" Tamari smiled.

"Not yet…"Ishtar said, rubbing her hand.

"Great. Get us out of here Lady Ishtar! You don't know what these guys can do to you!" Ashley stuttered.

Ishtar looked down at her hands. "I can't guys…I've tried and I can't do it."

Ashley stared to quiver again. Tamari and Ten-ten stared at each other as Zuko hurled himself mindlessly back into the shadows. "We're never gonna get out of here!" Ashley sobbed.

"Stop crying!" Ishtar ordered. "I will find a way! I promise! I can do this!"

Ashley stopped crying and rubbed her now reddish face. She lowered herself into the shadow and stared at the wall to keep her mind off of everything else going on in the prison cell.

"Where am I?" Axe asked aloud as he rubbed his head. "Lady Ishtar? Are you there?"

"Yes Axe."

Tamari rolled her eyes. "About time you woke up sleepy head!"

Ten-ten smiled a bit, holding in her laughter. She knew when a time for laughter was.

"Hey?" Ten-ten said. "Where'd the soldier go? And Where's Iroh?"

"Over here Ten-ten…" Iroh moaned.

"Uncle!" Zuko shouted. "Uncle are you okay!?"

"I'm fine nephew," he replied closing his eyes.

The door opened sharply with a warning _clang_. Everybody jumped except Ishtar, Zuko and Iroh. All had heard that noise before and it seemed unclear to them why all ships had a warning signal in the prison cell.

Ishtar watched as Admiral Zhao stared at her through the bars. "I've finally caught you," he said smugly.

"What's your point?" Ishtar asked. "It took you long enough."

"Watch your tongue _Lady_ Ishtar…" Zhao commanded.

"Only if you watch yours _Admiral_ Zhao…" Ishtar commanded back.

Zuko turned his head to the conversation. This conversation seemed familiar. It was almost the exact same conversation that he had with her the first time that they met.

"Get her out of there!" Zhao ordered. The soldiers around him immediately tore out their keys and opened the cell door. Both grabbed Ishtar's arms and held her in the air. "You're a little weak from the poison but, it'll pass," Zhao smiled.

Ishtar moved her head to the side as the soldiers followed Zhao out of the prison. Soldiers were carrying her up the stairs painfully. She winced occasionally as the soldiers moved.

They passed doors upon doors until they stopped at one. "Put her on the chair and leave," Zhao ordered.

Placing her on the chair, she noticed that the room was full of Fire Emblems. She glared when she knew where she was.

Zhao closed the door and walked inside his quarters.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I hope that you don't mind the time skip…I meant well but I just got bored with the old storyline and I added things for the future without thinking about adding onto my original. The future stuff is 1000-times better than my original! You'll love it! I have a couple of chapter already added so I only need about three reviews for and update.


	10. The Deal

I hope that you like this longer chapter because I wanted to include everything, deal and all...I dont' own Avatar: the Last Airbender. OH! I would like three reviews, maybe two...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I wonder where he took her…" Ten-ten asked.

"Probably to some kind of torture room to pry her for information," Ashley whimpered.

"I don't know about that…he seems infatuated with her," Axe smiled.

"Shut up!" Ten-ten shouted. "I don't want to hear that!"

"Haha…" Axe laughed.

"She's right. That's not what anybody wants to hear," Tamari spat.

"It's sick! He's so old!" Ashley screamed, almost giggling. "You don't think that he would do you?"

"No," Zuko said. "He's a trained Military Leader of the Fire Nation. Feelings aren't influenced by anything in order to be respected."

"Whatever…" Axe smiled, not wanting to change the dirty subject.

"Please!" Ten-ten begged, "Shut up!"

"Sorry…" everyone except Iroh and Zuko apologized.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zhao's quarters…I know…it sounds creepy…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you want now that couldn't be explained around my comrades?" Ishtar asked.

"I'm not 'explaining' anything. You're going to tell me something," Zhao smiled, moving in on her comfort zone.

"Like what?"

"I won't kill your 'comrades' if you listen to every order that I say," Zhao asked nicely.

Ishtar's eyes became small. "You wouldn't…"

"This is a one time deal. I'll give you until tomorrow," Zhao smiled, touching her shoulder. His touch made her quiver. He grinned. "Until this time tomorrow," he repeated.

Zhao walked out of his quarters as the soldiers walked in. Both grabbed her arms and she stood up. Her legs could finally move and operate themselves. She felt better but worse. The poison had started to leave her body but she had to think about a deal between the life or the death of her comrades.

They walked her out of his quarters and towards her cell again. They placed her inside on the ground and left. All of her comrades were at the edge of their cells, wondering what happened to her.

"Lady Ishtar?" Ten-ten asked in her cute little voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing Ten-ten," Ishtar monotonously mumbled.

"I told you guys…" Axe smirked.

"Shut it!" Tamari shouted.

Ishtar started to giggle. That's the Tamari that I know… she thought.

"Great. Now that we have him shut up…I think that everybody needs to get some sleep," Iroh said.

Nobody said anything. They stared and slid to the shadows of their cells. Ishtar stayed where she was laid. She turned her head toward her comrades and smiled.

The flames lit up some spots of the cells. She could see the feet of everyone but Zuko and Iroh were still staring at her in the light. They continued to stare until an hour later when they finally thought it was safe to talk.

"What did Admiral Zhao want?" Zuko asked.

"He offered me a deal…" Ishtar whispered.

"What kind of deal?" Iroh asked.

"The life or death kind."

"Oh, great," Zuko grinned. "The kind I was hoping for."

"What was the deal?"

"If I listened to every order he gave and followed them, he'd let you guys live," Ishtar whispered.

Zuko's eyes twitched. He was beside Ishtar in his own prison cell like everyone else but she could defiantly see him clearly.

"How long do you have to make the decision?" Iroh asked.

"Decision? What decision? She's going to take the deal! She has to or else we all die!" Zuko whisper-shouted.

"Would Zhao kill us though?" Iroh asked out loud.

"Of course he would!" Ten-ten piped up. "He didn't care about hitting me at all that time!"

"Ten-ten has a point," Tamari said. "Even though I never saw him hit her, he would."

"I don't know…maybe if Ishtar asked him nicely in a sweet little voice…" Axe smirked.

"Oh shut up will you?" Ashley shouted.

"Why are you guys awake?" Ishtar asked.

"We never really fell asleep," Tamari smiled, taking everybody's vote in her own ballet box.

"You're going to take the deal right?" Axe asked.

"How long?" Iroh asked, raising his voice.

"Until tomorrow."

"I agree with Zuko!" Tamari shouted.

"Me too!" Ashley piped up.

"I will follow any decision that you make Lady Ishtar," Ten-ten smiled.

"Same here," Axe said.

Ishtar pushed herself into the shadows behind her. She leaned against the wall and frowned. I'm taking that deal, she thought.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back with Zhao…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I gave her an open deal that she has to take…" Zhao told himself out loud as he paced his quarters. "If she doesn't take it, I'll kill them. If she takes it, then, she's mine." He tore off his shirt and smiled. He threw it to the side and collapsed into his bed. It had been a tiring day for him. The capture of not only one of the Fire Lord's wanted but three. He flicked them off with his fingers. "_Prince_ Zuko,_ General_ Iroh and _Lady_ Ishtar," he said smiling. He smiled and fell into a deep sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning at the prison cells…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soldiers strutted into Ishtar's cell and grabbed her arms. They tied her arms behind her back and led her out of the prison. Forcing her up the stairs, the soldiers looked at each other for a brief moment. The door opened as if knowing when to open and they pushed Ishtar in. There was no chair waiting for her, there was only two cushions with a small table filled with tea and a bowl of rice with a large bed next to it.

Admiral Zhao grabbed her shoulders and then tore off the rope around her wrists. He forced her to the ground to sit in front of the bowl of rice. He sat down across the table on the cushion.

"Eat," he ordered.

"Why?" Ishtar asked, unsure of whether it contained a poison.

"Eat and then we will talk about the deal."

"No."

"What?"

"I said no. Deal first, then I'll eat."

"Good, you accepted the deal then."

"Why would you assume that?" Ishtar asked.

"Well, you of all people would know that I wouldn't let you eat if you didn't take the deal," Zhao smiled, sipping his tea. "Have some tea."

"Fine," Ishtar said, holding out her cup. He filled it, smiling. She drank and picked up her chopsticks. She placed them in her fingers and started to eat neatly. "About the deal," Ishtar said. "What will I have to do?"

"Anything I ask."

"And my friends?"

"Still alive and kicking."

Ishtar smiled. Zhao felt a very noticeable feeling in him again. He wanted her now. Like any man with eyes would've. Ishtar placed the chopsticks back in her bowl and took out another bite full. She chewed silently as Zhao watched.

"Would you have killed my friends if I wouldn't have taken your deal?" Ishtar asked.

"It would've been a waste but probably, yes," Zhao said frowning.

Ishtar kept eating like she never heard those last words emitted from his mouth. He continued to sip his tea and watch the young girl in his quarters. He cracked a smile.

"What?" Ishtar asked. "Why are you staring?"

"No reason in particular," Zhao said, changing his smile to a frown.

Ishtar finished her small bowl of rice and stared at him. Her attraction to him was a simple 'you caught me and now I have to go to the Fire Lord' attraction. His attraction to her was more than a normal friendship or a rivalry. He 'liked' her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"She's been gone a while now…" Ten-ten said restlessly.

"Yeah, I wonder what she's doing," Axe said, rubbing his eyes.

"Don't even start," Tamari ordered.

"You have to admit that it's kinda weird," Ashley said.

"I hope that she's okay…" Zuko whispered.

"She'll be fine. She can handle herself. We all learned that," Iroh smiled trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah. Lady Ishtar is the best in everything that I've ever seen," Axe smiled.

"She sure is Axe," Ten-ten whispered, her voice still quivering with a small amount of fear.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zhao's quarters…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you want?" Ishtar asked.

What he really wanted was for her to sleep with him but he pushed that thought to the side and smiled. "You're going to be sleeping here tonight," he said.

"What?!" Ishtar shouted.

"I won't be here of course."

Her psyche had burned through every likeliness of any situation other than the one he had just said. "Why here? You have to have plenty of other rooms in here or I could go back to the prison cell!"

"No on the prison cell idea and giving you your own room is risky," Zhao said.

"Even more riskier than sleeping here?!" Ishtar shouted, horrified.

"None of the soldiers are aloud in my quarters unless I give them orders. They are pretty much free to roam around everywhere else except here," Zhao explained. Ishtar leaned over the table. "If you don't like that idea, then I can just kill your friends."

"No! Fine, I'll stay here."

"Good," Zhao sneered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The prison door opened with a _clang_. Everybody was surprised as they craned their necks to see Lady Ishtar coming through the door. Lady Ishtar never came through the door. A soldier walked through the door and walked past all of the cells. He sat on the chair at the end of the short hallway. He folded his arms and grinned through his mask.

Ten-ten gave a nod in Tamari's direction. She caught the nod and grinned. Tamari nodded to Axe, he nodded to Ashley, and she nodded to Iroh and Zuko. All understood the meaning.

Tamari stood up as Axe followed. The soldier watched intently and appeared to be bored out of his mind to get stuck with such a lame job.

"Excuse me? Guard?" Tamari asked.

"What?" he asked.

"I would appreciate a trip to the bathroom," Tamari smiled.

"Fine," he sighed as he unlocked the door. He grabbed Tamari's hands and forced them behind her back. He walked her up the stairs.

The door closed with another clang as everyone else smiled. "Great…She's got them distracted now we can find out what is happening to Lady Ishtar," Ten-ten grinned.

"When the guard leaves of course or just when he falls asleep," Axe smirked, cracking his knuckles.

"You guys might not have this planned out as well as you want it to be planned…" Zuko yawned.

"Prince Zuko," Ashley said.

"What?"

"Please be quiet."

Remember! Two or three reviews!

Review!

Review!!

Review!!!


	11. First Kiss From A Stranger

This chapter is interesting but I know that you'll love it! I've raised the maturity level a LOT! And I've raised the rating…I know that you'll like this chapter and: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender…ENJOY!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night at Zhao's quarters…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar didn't feel right sitting on Zhao's bed let alone laying or sleeping on it. She was forced to do whatever he wanted though. She had made an almost uncontrollable deal that was never going to be reopened. She laid on the bed and stared at the ceiling. A Fire Emblem was staring at her. She hated it.

Her fear at the moment was if Zhao came into the room and started to crawl into his bed without a warning for her. Her fear at the moment would hopefully never be realized. She yawned and then fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

The door opened silently. A slow moving figure walked into the room and looked at the small curled up lump on his bed. He smiled and rubbed his hand through his hair. He walked toward the door at the opposite side of the room and walked in. Ishtar forced her eyes open and listened to the sound of Zhao moving. She knew that it wasn't a regular soldier walking around because of what Zhao had told her during the day after the deal.

He closed the door a bit so that only a small crack remained for a streak of light to gape through. He sat at his desk and pulled out scraps of paper. He stared at maps and different 'Wanted' posters that lined his room. He tore off the one of General Iroh and Prince Zuko. Azula was going to be so pissed off when he came back home with her wanted prize. He placed the poster under his desk and pulled out Ishtar's poster. He stared at for a while. The poster itself had given him happiness when he didn't see her in person but now that he had her in his bed, it was almost irresistible.

He smiled and then peered through the crack. Ishtar was now facing him. Her eyes were barely open but he knew that she was watching him. He smiled and returned to his work.

Ishtar covered herself more with the sheets even though she wasn't cold.

"When can I see my friends?" Ishtar asked the darkness.

"Tomorrow if you want," Zhao smirked, now realizing that she didn't much care about herself.

Ishtar pushed herself out of Zhao's bed. She walked over to the door and opened it a bit. "What are you doing?" she asked, curious.

"Nothing much," he answered.

Ishtar grinned a bit. She grasped the doorway weakly.

Zhao couldn't help but to stare at her. She was always going to be pretty but if he even touched her, he'd be on a one-way ticket to Hell by Avatar Roku himself. Her hair was draped around her body past her shoulders and to her mid-waist. He could've drooled but his trained mind knew that was a sign of weakness.

"Why are you staring at me again?" Ishtar asked.

"I think that you should go back to bed again."

"Why?" Ishtar asked sweetly.

"That's an order," Zhao threatened almost losing his sense of personal control.

Ishtar blinked her eyes in understandment and walked to his bed. She sat down and fell into a more enjoyable sleep knowing that she could make Zhao nervous.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning with Zhao…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar stared at the hated Emblem. Zhao had left his room at six for a crew checkup. She was told to stay in the room until a soldier knocked on the door for her.

Knock…knock… 

Ishtar sat up in the freshly made bed. She yawned a bit and opened the door. The soldier didn't grab her. He stood behind her as she walked to the prison cell. The door opened squeakily everybody turned their heads as their leader walked into the room.

"Lady Ishtar!" Ten-ten shouted.

"Please leave us alone?" Ishtar asked the guard.

The guard nodded and shut the door.

"Is that part of the deal?" Iroh asked.

"I just have to do what he says and I get automatic trust," Ishtar smirked. "It's not like I have anyplace to go. We're on a ship."

Zuko smiled. "About time you smiled Happy," Tamari teased.

"Haha," Zuko said.

"Oh…and a sense of humor too?" Tamari continued.

Ishtar walked over to Zuko's cell. "I promise that I can get you guys all out soon,"

Ishtar said, kneeling to level with the Prince. Their eyes met and she smiled.

The door opened. "Lady Ishtar," a hated voice said. "I want you to leave now," he ordered.

Ishtar stood up from the ground and brushed herself off. She walked over to Admiral Zhao and waited by his side. He opened the door for her and pushed her out. The door closed.

"She's been beat," Axe sighed.

"What?!" Ten-ten shouted.

"Not literally, mentally," Axe reassured.

"I don't believe that."

"Wait. He may be right. Or she knows something that we don't know…" Ashley said.

"Like what?" Tamari asked out loud.

"Maybe she knows that he will kill us if she doesn't listen," Ten-ten sighed.

"That's it!" Axe shouted.

"Great. Mr. Genius has a thought."

"Shut up Tamari!"

"Bite me!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar and Zhao…sad as it sounds…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That was a short meeting…" Ishtar whispered.

"I'm not letting you get smart ideas."

"I was talking. Not creating ideas."

"That's not what I heard."

"Well then you heard wrong," Ishtar whispered.

Zhao threw her against the wall. She stood there staring into his brownish-hazel eyes. Her eyes were blue or dark steel. He smacked his hand against the wall, locking Ishtar in a human box. She stared in his eyes.

He smiled. "Why do you think you have absolutely no bending ability right now? Have you even told your friends? Would they think of you as their leader if they didn't think that you were the Semi?" Zhao asked.

"Yes they would," Ishtar said courageously. "Why can't I bend?"

Zhao grabbed her arm. He led her to his quarters and threw her inside. She pounded on the floor. Her hands were forced to the back of her head. "You can't bend because of Tekenutsu."

"The energy system?"

"Exactly."

"Why the node system. Why not something that doesn't kill my organs?"

"This way I have more leverage over you my sweet," Zhao smiled, rubbing her top of her head.

"Please don't touch me…" Ishtar asked.

"I can touch you whenever I want to! You made a deal! I own you now!" Zhao spat.

Ishtar looked down at the floor as he grabbed her hair. She was forced into a standing position. He looked deeply into her eyes. He couldn't control his head. His body seemed to work on it's own.

He shoved her into the wall and kissed her. She wanted to escape. She didn't want to do this, not now, not with him.

"Stop! Please!" Ishtar begged.

"Why?" Zhao asked, stopping.

"I don't want to do this! This is something that you're not going to order me to do…" Ishtar whimpered, pushing herself tighter against the wall.

"Fine. Another time then…" Zhao said walking out of the room.

Ishtar watched the door close and then she slid down the wall. She was shocked and speechless. Her mind replayed the last few events painfully. She placed her head in her hands and started to cry silently.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cell…mostly in Ten-ten's mind…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten had always had a spiritual bond with Ishtar. "Something is wrong with Lady Ishtar…" Ten-ten stuttered.

Everybody turned his or her head to the seven year old. "What is it?" Iroh asked.

"She's crying…I think," Ten-ten whispered.

"What?" Zuko shouted.

"He hurt her…"

"Do you know how?" Tamari asked.

"I can't feel that…She's hiding that emotion," Ten-ten muttered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zhao's quarters…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar rubbed her eyes and tilted her head against the wall. She wanted to go back to the prison cell and rot. She didn't want to spend another minute in 'his' room again. She knew that she didn't want him to ever touch her again.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar stared at the bowl of rice. She was only given a bowl of rice for every meal to keep her weak. She only consumed tea when someone was watching. She still had the horrifying experience placed in her mind that happened during midmorning.

Zhao watched her eat. He smiled as she grasped her chopsticks weakly. She placed the much-needed food in her mouth and swallowed. There was no flavor in the rice so the only distant flavor that she obtained was from the tea. It was Jasmine Tea. She knew that it was Iroh's favorite.

Thoughts of Zuko strained her mind. She had deep feelings for him that if Zhao ever found them, he would really kill Zuko. She had started to banish the thoughts just a quickly as the Fire Lord had banished Zuko himself. The bowl was empty and screaming for more rice to be thrown in it. Ishtar knew that more rice would never come until the morning.

"May I see my friends in the morning?" Ishtar asked slowly.

"No."

"Fine." Zhao leered at her as his smile vanished. "Can I walk outside this room tomorrow?" Ishtar asked.

"Fine. You can walk around with me," Zhao answered.

Ishtar wanted to take back what she had said just seconds before.

"Okay…" Ishtar sighed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't think that I've ever seen Lady Ishtar cry," Axe whispered.

"I haven't…" Ten-ten sighed.

"I defiantly haven't," Tamari muttered.

"Whatever he's doing to her…it must be awful then," Ashley whimpered.

"Be quiet," Zuko ordered.

"Sorry Prince."

Iroh was listening to the ongoing argument.

"I still say that he likes her," Axe smiled.

Tamari picked up the spoon that the guard gave her for dinner. "Shut up!" she shouted while she threw the spoon at him.

"You would throw a spoon…" Axe smiled.

"Well you would continue that nasty conversation," Ashley shouted back, disrupting the conversation.

"About time you stick up for yourself Ash," Tamari smiled.

"Ashley," Axe said.

"What?"

"Do you think that you can melt the bars with firebending?" he asked.

"I don't know."

"Try it. Could you guys do it too?" he asked Iroh and Zuko.

Zuko shook his head. "These bars where crafted by a firebender and then heated again. There is no way that anyone can heat these bars hot enough to melt them," Zuko whispered.

"Try it anyway Ash," Tamari whispered. She didn't move in her cell at the order. She shook her head believing that Zuko was right. "There's no water around for me to cut them and there's no earth for Axe. Ten-ten doesn't have a skill that I know of."

Ten-ten smiled. She had the most sacred skill in the room. She could airbend. Nobody knew except Lady Ishtar because Ishtar had told her that she had that power. Ten-ten remembered that particular day in the old cave they had.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten's seventh birthday…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar led Ten-ten to the downstairs layer of the cave that Roku had let them stay in. He had crafted the cave for the next Avatar to stay in if anything was chasing him.

Something was chasing the Avatar a while ago but if the animal guardian traveled there, the cave wouldn't be of any use for the future.

Royu was lying in the warmth of the lava. He picked up his head and growled with delight. Ishtar patted his head and continued to lead Ten-ten to an open edge.

"Happy Birthday Ten-ten," Ishtar smiled.

"Thank you Lady Ishtar…"

"I think that I finally need to talk to you."

"What Lady Ishtar?" she asked.

"You remember the day that I saved you right?"

"Of course! I will never forget it!" she shouted.

"I could've picked any of the lost children there. But, do you know why I picked you?" Ishtar asked, wanting the child to catch on.

"No," she answered, confused.

"You have a great gift that has been lost for years," Ishtar smiled.

"Like what?"

"You may not realize it, but you are an airbender. Your aurora appealed to me because you know that I'm the Semi-Avatar right?"

"Yes."

"Well, there haven't been any airbenders in a hundred years."

"Really? Then I'm like one of a kind?" Ten-ten asked.

"Yes."

"Wait…you can airbend…can you teach me?"

"Of course…" Ishtar smiled.

"Yes! I'm an airbender!" Ten-ten laughed. "I knew there was something different about me!"

Ishtar laughed and took her back up to the cave that she shared with Axe the earthbender, Tamari the waterbender, Ashley the firebender and now with the newest airbender, Ten-ten.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Ishtar and Zhao in the morning…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How did you sleep last night?" Zhao asked.

"Fine…" Ishtar lied knowing that she didn't get any sleep at all from keeping her eyes open all night not wanting Zhao to enter the room.

A high-class soldier walked up to Zhao. "Admiral…the prisoners are asking to see her," he said, nodding to Ishtar's direction.

Zhao glanced at Ishtar. "Tell them that they can see her every other day," Zhao said.

"Yes Admiral…right away."

"Why every other day?" Ishtar asked smoothly.

"Just to make you ask questions."

"Good, you have me asking and now tell," Ishtar nicely ordered.

"No," he answered.

Zhao walked in front of Ishtar. He didn't need to worry about her running away because she had nowhere to go. They were in the middle of Earth Kingdom waters heading to the Fire Nation. She had followed him diligently, watching him move as he walked, pointing out his weak spots.

Zhao smiled. "Come with me to see the captain," he ordered.

She couldn't reject to his direct order so she followed up the stairs. Her footprints were almost silent as she walked compared to his footsteps. She grinned as she shielded her eyes from the sunlight with her hand.

"It's nice to see you Admiral Zhao," the captain of the ship said.

"What's the status report?" Zhao asked.

"Everything is fine as usual Admiral," he said as he eyed Ishtar. "Isn't that a prisoner?"

"Yes."

"Why is she here?"

"She won't get away. I bribed her with a deal," Zhao smirked.

"Oh…okay then."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope that you enjoyed this section! I got five reviews last time! That was the most that I've ever gotten on this story! I feel loved…(Hug)…either way, Review! Review!! Review!!!


	12. Past Lives

I hope that you guys like this chapter! It took forever to come up with the settings and the surrounds of the people!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Axe's prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Axe had an attraction to Tamari. Lady Ishtar had known about it because his heart always skipped a beat when her sweet voice came out of that beautiful mouth.

He had often had a small crush on the leader but he wasn't for the whole 'life and death chasing game'. Ishtar was way to nice and a hard strategist to understand. Ashley, he thought was kind of a tough girl who didn't understand the world fully -that would ultimately be her downfall when she had to face problems on her own. Ten-ten was almost like a sweet little sister to everybody. She would smile and laugh at the appropriate time and make Ishtar smile occasionally.

He was supposed to be a big man, the funny guy and a mentor all at the same time. He hated that. But his smile and personality had won Lady Ishtar over to help him. It had been a tough year for everyone.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Axe's first meeting with Ishtar…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey! Kid come back!" a Fire Nation soldier shouted as he chased a tall black haired boy who had stolen some bread from the food barrel at the Fire Nation camp.

All of this for a piece of bread? he asked himself.

He bit the bread and swallowed the bite of food. He ran slower tiring quickly. The soldier had been trained for years to run fast and fight while the fifteen year old boy only knew how to earthbend for a short ten years. He was no master in the rank; he was actually pretty slow at learning. His father was an Earth General so he had high expectations. His breath finally gave in as he collapsed to the ground, exhausted.

He knew he was going to be beaten, so with the last ounce of strength, he stuffed the bread in his mouth and chewed. The guard ran up to him with a fiery spike in his hand.

Something stopped the spike from being thrown at him.

A girl was sitting in the trees watching, waiting for an opening until the boy fell to the ground. Her opening had been cut short with an instinct that made her jump in front of the teenager.

The soldier was pushed to the side. His helmet was sent flying to the opposite side. The soldier quickly stood up with the flame in his hand.

"Get out of the way girly!" he ordered.

Ishtar said nothing as she helped the boy off of the ground.

The soldier grew impatient and attacked without planning ahead. Ishtar caught his hands and grabbed a loose piece of cloth on his uniform. She tugged at the cloth and tied his wrists.

"You soldiers are all the same," she whispered smugly. "You talk a big game and have no brain to show it."

The teenage boy watched the teenage girl toss the soldier to the side. "How did you do that?" he asked.

"Training."

"Thank you…" he stuttered.

"Why are you out here all alone?" Ishtar asked, walking him in the direction he was running.

"My father's at Ba Sing Say right now. He's a general. My mother was killed when I was little."

"You're an earthbender right?" Ishtar asked.

"Yeah! How'd you guess?"

"I just had a feeling."

"That's cool…thanks for the rescue!" he shouted, running away with a sudden renewal of energy.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tamari's prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She didn't have a deep attraction to a certain teammate because she already had an arranged marriage to a young suitor. Being a waterbender, she was used to the cold. But the heat that surrounded her in the ship was almost untamable. She hated the heat but she dealt with it without a word of complaint.

Lady Ishtar was a mentor to her. She wanted to be just like her, stern, hard to understand and straightforward. Axe was a lovable teenager the same age. Ashley was as best of a friend that she could ever be even though she was Fire Nation. She had been treated the same way as an earthbender or waterbender by her own nation so she could be trusted. Ten-ten was the same for everyone. A small frail girl who had no reason to be with Lady Ishtar other than the pure pity that Ishtar felt for her. Her first meeting was something that she would never forget a year ago.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tamari's first meeting with Ishtar…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Everything had gone wrong in her life. He house was burned. Her savior had been a neatly dressed woman traveling on the shores of a frozen beach.

After a small banquet for Tamari's engagement to Kemah she had gone to bed. Kemah had been a friend to her the entire fifteen years that she had known him and she hoped that a marriage wouldn't kill the long-lasting friendship.

A rumble of wind hit the tent that she slept in. Wind was common in the southern part of the Earth Kingdom that was inhabited by waterbenders hoping to repopulate the South Pole.

Screaming that followed next wasn't the norm. She bolted out of her sleeping bag and ran to the opening of the tent. She stared outside at the firebenders hurling fire and killing her people. She rushed out and grabbed water like the rest of the male waterbenders. She knew how to fight. Nobody was going to tell her off for doing something illegal when lives were at stake.

She hit firebenders and ran on to the next set. Ironically she was next to her fiancé. Both hurled water at the enemy. A deathblow flame was hurled in Tamari's direction. Kemah threw his body over his fiancée and threw up on the ground. The blow had hit him. He had done his manly duties by protecting his fiancé.

Tamari had covered her head with her arms. She felt a large amount of weight on her arms. She uncovered herself and watched Kemah fall to the ground.

She felt the thud and started to cry. She hugged Kemah and kissed his forehead. "Please be awake! Please don't be dead!" she cried out.

"You can join him!" an enemy soldier cried.

He hurled another deathblow at her as she shielded her face with her arms. The fire never came. Tamari became curious as she peered over the top of her arm.

A teenage girl about a year older than herself stood in front of her, twirling the fire around her fingers.

"What are you doing!? They'll kill you if you just stand there!" Tamari shouted.

"Don't worry. Round up your people and tell them to run to the forest," the girl ordered.

"Okay…" Tamari shouted as she ran to her people.

"Everyone! To the forest!" she shouted.

"Why!? So they can burn us down?" they shouted back.

"No! Just do it!"

Nobody moved. They stood and fought. Tamari looked back at the girl. Her hands were in the air. Water waded around her and journeyed to her hands. The water grew bigger and bigger as she watched.

The waterbenders stopped and watched. Water was taken from their hands and they started to sprint to the forest. Tamari was stunned. Somebody grabbed her and forced her to walk. She ran to the forest with everyone else and stood at the edge of the brush.

The girl was seemingly going to take on the entire army herself.

"Why is she just standing there?" the waterbenders asked.

"Whose kid is she?!"

Nobody answered. Everyone was to busy watching.

Water wrapped around the girl. She moved her hands ferociously. She grinned as she worked. A bit of frozen water there, some water kicking the soldiers off of their guard, throwing them out of their stances.

Earth flew out of nowhere.

"Is she the Avatar?" a few voices asked.

"No…the Avatar hasn't been around for a hundred years," another person answered.

"Who is she?"

Fire was used against the soldiers as they started to flee.

"Retreat!!!" the soldiers shouted.

The girl smiled and nudged them with a giant burst of air. All flew up and away.

She pushed a deep breath to her waist and felt refreshed.

"Wait to go lady Ishtar!" a voice from overhead shouted.

A dragon landed on the frozen shores. Several waterbenders screamed in fear.

Tamari stared, not moving, not talking.

Why did she save me? she asked herself Why not somebody else?

A spit of fire came out of the mouth of the dragon. The waterbenders were speechless. They were confused and then angry that she was a firebender.

"What's going on here?!" a waterbender shouted as he barged out of the bushes.

The girl stared.

"What's your name?" another asked, coming out of the nearest bush.

"Lady Ishtar," Ten-ten answered for her.

"How did you control all of the elements?" he asked.

"Easy," a boy answered from the side. "She's the Semi-Avatar."

The waterbenders continued to come out of the bushes. Tamari came out with the rest. Ishtar looked at her.

"I need a fighting female waterbender," Ishtar said.

"We have no fighting females here. It's illegal for women to fight," the bender shouted angrily.

"There's one here," Ishtar smiled, walking over to Tamari.

"Tamari is a healer. She's no fighter."

"Would you be willing to learn?" Ishtar asked Tamari.

"Yes. Of course!" Tamari answered.

"Are you willing to stay with me and my companions?"

Tamari looked around. "Yes."

"Tamari, your betrothal!" they shouted.

"My betrothed is dead! I am willing to fight for his cause. I want vengeance for his death!" Tamari shouted.

"Okay then, follow me."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ashley's prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She had nobody to trust or care for.

Ishtar was her mentor. Her firebending ability was beyond normal energy. Axe was a foolish boy who acted like his title, 'fool'. Tamari was a great friend. One she could tell secrets to or bug and play around with. Ten-ten was a small childish sister. She was the cutest child to play around with but she could get serious and she could snap like a turtle.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ashley's first meeting with Ishtar…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ash!" her mother shouted. "Your father needs you in the blacksmith shop."

"Yes mother…" she answered.

Ashley walked down to her father's family owned blacksmith shop. She hated that place and almost everything on it. Fire wasn't her thing even though she was a firebender herself. She opened the steel door to the blacksmith shop and walked in, keeping the door open.

"What do you want father?" Ashley asked.

She walked up to her father and taped him on the shoulder.

"Ashley? What are you doing here?" her father asked.

"Mother told me to come here. She said you wanted help."

"I haven't seen your mother since this morning…something is wrong…" he stuttered dropping his tools.

He ran out of the shop with his daughter at his heels. Something was defiantly wrong as they ran into smoke. Firebenders were attacking a firebending city.

"What are you doing?!" he shouted to a soldier.

"We have orders to kill everyone in this village," he answered holding up a steaming blade.

"Why?" her father asked, holding up his hands and blocking Ashley from the soldiers view.

"Wouldn't know. It's a direct order from the Fire Lord himself."

A teenage girl a bit older than Ashley burst out of the bushes. She watched the

soldier throw his blade into the man. Grabbing at her leg, she pulled out a thin weapon.

She threw it at the soldier. He collapsed to the ground.

"Father!" Ashley screamed finally taking in the reality of the situation.

"Get up," the girl ordered.

Ashley followed the order. She stood up from her kneeling position and followed the girl.

The girl pulled her weapon out of the soldiers' neck and ran to another soldier. She threw her weapon. In no time, the weapon was covered in blood and nobody was left standing except Ashley and the weapon holder.

"Who are you?" Ashley asked.

"Lady Ishtar."

"Are they dead?"

"No."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I know. Ishtar sounds really creepy right now but she's not! She was just blessed or cursed with power! I hope that you liked it! The button is to the left to review!


	13. Don't Do This

I have blessed you all with two chapters! i don't own Avatar so no sueing! I love you all right now! Yay! I really feel loved but don't forget to review!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cells…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey guys…Lady Ishtar's coming in the morning right?" Axe asked.

"Yes Axe, with a bit of luck. Why," Tamari sighed.

"Never mind…" Axe said.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night in the prison cells…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey guys are you okay?" Ishtar asked as she rushed into the prison.

"We're fine Lady Ishtar," everyone chimed.

"That's good…" Ishtar said, kneeling on the floor in the center of the cells.

"Lady Ishtar…you look thin," Ten-ten noticed.

"Oh, that's nothing," Ishtar reassured.

Zuko looked at her. She looked really thin. It had only been three days and she looked malnourished and tired.

"Are you sure that you're okay?" Zuko asked.

Ishtar faced him. "Yeah. I'm fine," she smiled weakly.

"So, what's he been doing to you?" Axe asked.

"Nothing much. I just have to follow him around so he can keep an eye on me," Ishtar sighed.

"Then why did Ten-ten sense you crying?" Tamari asked.

Ishtar closed her eyes. "Ten-ten must've been mistaken," she answered.

Ten-ten knew that she was lying. She closed her eyes and smiled. Zuko knew that she was lying as well as Iroh did. They looked at each other and nodded.

"What has he been feeding you?" Iroh asked.

Ishtar faced him. "Rice," she said.

"And that's it?" Ashley asked.

"Yes."

"How much?" Zuko asked.

"Enough to keep me alive," Ishtar groaned.

"No wonder you look thin!" Axe shouted.

"I'm fine guys. Honest," Ishtar said. "What has he been feeding you?"

"Leftovers from the cook that weren't eaten by soldiers," Ashley sighed.

"How much is he giving you?"

"All of the leftovers. If anything, we're overfull," Axe smiled.

Ishtar smiled. Apparently the deal had been keeping them well feed and overstuffed while she got the short end of the stick. She didn't care. As long as her comrades were being cared for. The door opened up. Zhao walked into the prison. Ishtar stared at the floor, not looking at his brown-hazel eyes.

He grabbed her shoulder and nudged her to stand up. She stood and walked to the door. He followed and stopped when he heard a snigger.

"Who's laughing?" he asked, turning around on his heel.

Ishtar leered at Axe. It was his laugh.

"It was probably you," he smirked to Prince Zuko.

"It wasn't him," Ishtar said, rushing back into the room and blocking Zhao's eyes from Zuko.

"Who was it then?" Zhao asked, a smirk across his face.

"Me…" she thought quickly.

"Fine," he smiled, grabbing her arm.

Ishtar looked back to the cells as Zhao slammed the door shut.

"Great!" Tamari shouted. "You got her in trouble!"

"Sorry…" Axe apologized.

"Don't apologize to me…apologize to Lady Ishtar!" Tamari screamed.

"Next time that she's aloud to come down then!" Axe smirked.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hallway with Zhao and Ishtar…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It was Price Zuko wasn't it?" Zhao asked.

"No!" Ishtar whispered.

"Who was it!? Tell me! That's an order!" Zhao bellowed.

"It was me…" Ishtar whispered.

"You're mendacious."

"No, I'm not…" Ishtar stammered.

Zhao threw her into his quarters. She collapsed against the wall. Her head banged against the metal. He kneeled down beside her and shoved his face up to hers.

"Do you remember the little promise that I gave you two days ago?" Zhao asked, smiling.

Ishtar opened her eyes the whole way thinking of the conversation… _Another time then_…he had said.

"There hasn't been a woman on this ship in a long, long time…" Zhao whispered, standing.

He walked over to the desk and pulled out a ribbon. He walked back over to Ishtar and forced the ribbon onto her struggling wrists. The ribbon was tied behind her back and she stopped struggling.

"Don't do this…" Ishtar whispered. She struggled weakly as he kissed her. Her feet wouldn't move. He stood up from his violent kisses and grabbed her. He threw her on the bed and started to grab at her shirt. "Don't…please don't…" Ishtar begged.

He wasn't listening.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten's mind…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten stood up in her cell. Everybody looked at her.

"She's in trouble…" she stuttered.

Each person dropped his or her head.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Eww…don't make me type it twice…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He had torn off his armor-plated suit and his smooth chest was showing. Her shirt was off but the bandages to act as her bra were still secured around her breasts.

Her hands were on the mattress forcing her back to be elevated into the air a bit. He apparently enjoyed that fact while she was uncomfortable.

His pants were still on his waist and her black leggings were around her waist too. She was surprised that he wasn't going to go 'all of the way' as normal males would. He kept kissing her.

She thought that she was going to be kind of fine until he started to lift her in the air a bit. His arm supported her back as he kissed harder. He bit her lip and drew blood. He smiled and bit again. Her blood oozed into his mouth. He kissed her again and again.

Please stop…she begged in her mind.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spirit World…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Avatar Roku looked down on the Avatar named Aang. He wasn't watching over Ishtar, thinking that she could take care of herself. He hadn't checked on her for almost a week and decided at week two he would check.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten's mind…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"She needs help!" Ten-ten shouted.

"Shut up Ten-ten…we can't give it to her," Tamari sighed. "It's probably all because of Axe laughing at Zhao."

"I agree to that…" Ashley moaned.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't even…!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He started to become comfortable as he took off his pants. He had let her fall back onto the bed as he started to tear off her own leggings.

"No…" she groaned.

He still wasn't listening as he started to kiss her again. His arm supported her back again. Her undergarments were still on. His boxers were still on. The last thing on his mind was getting her pregnant.

She hoped that this was as far as he was going to go.

His kisses hardened. Her lips were tender and warn now as he pushed his face forward. The back of her head touched the pillow that she had slept in peacefully a day before. The thought of sleep was never going to be in her mind again if she had to sleep in this room. She opened her eyes and closed them. She felt his bushy sideburns against her face as he pushed her into the mattress. His kisses hastened and became softer. His tongue had moved around in her mouth and raped her past the point at which he had raped her manually. His hands where still behind her back and his nails were digging into her white skin. Scratches and nail-dug holes would litter her back for a long time.

His brown-hazel eyes were filled with enjoyment and happiness. His lips had become tender and soft the more he kissed but he didn't care. He wasn't thinking because something else was doing his thinking for him. His teeth clanged against her teeth in one deep kiss.

Her body had been flat against the mattress except for the incline of her back. He moved his legs to her waist and kneeled. He stared down at her. She looked peaceful and horrified at the same time. He leaned down and gave her another kiss. Her eyes closed with a small forming tear in her left eye. She opened her eyes with the tear vanishing.

"What are you going to do now? Rape me slowly?" Ishtar asked, horrified.

"No," he answered, sliding down to his mattress.

Ishtar took in a deep breath. She closed her eyes but then opened them hastily as he dragged her body across the mattress. He hugged her to keep her with him. His arms were tight around her waist so the thought of her escaping was now shattered. Her back was tight against his smooth chest her breathing became heavy.

"Why did you have to do that?" Ishtar asked, holding back all her tears.

"I love you," he said, smiling.

"That wasn't a very nice way to show it…" Ishtar whispered.

"I'm not nice. I never was and I will never be," Zhao groaned as he moved his head over her body. His head was laid against her shoulder. His happy resting would soon cause him to sleep peacefully and not wake up until the morning.

She couldn't untie her hands in the middle of the night without waking Zhao up and if he woke up, he'd probably start kissing her again as a punishment for her but as a reward for himself. She remained still all night but awake in pain as the ribbon cut deeper into her skin. Zhao didn't snore. It was almost as if he wasn't sleeping either, just lying there, watching her. She felt disgusted and sick to her stomach and he nuzzled his head closer to her breasts.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning in Ten-ten's prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We could've helped, Ten-ten thought to herself. We could've gotten out of here if we tried hard enough.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning in Zhao's quarters…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zhao gripped Ishtar tighter against himself and smiled as his eyes opened. He got up from his bed and stretched. Ishtar moved her legs and twisted her body. She pulled herself into a kneeling position and glared at him.

"Are you going to untie me?" she asked.

Zhao gave her a quick glance. She was bent over with her hair blocking her bosom and undergarments. "No, not yet," Zhao smiled, walking to the desk that he took the ribbon out of.

He pulled out another ribbon and walked over to her. She pushed herself back into the wall at the head of the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked as he crept on the bed and pinned her to the wall. Her knees covered her body as he tied the next red ribbon around her face to cover her mouth. He forced it on tightly, making her quiver a bit. He grinned. Her hair was in the way of double knotting the ribbon but he managed to finish the knot.

"Nobody will be by this entire floor all day so be quiet and don't go anywhere," he smiled, pushing himself off of the bed for another ribbon. He walked to his desk drawer and opened it. He pulled out another red ribbon and walked to the bed again.

"Irf tu tust forded mi, I vouldve tistened," Ishtar said through the ribbon tight against her skin.

Zhao pushed her hair away from her legs since she was sitting against the wall with her knees up to her chin. He wrapped the final ribbon around her ankles and pushed himself off of his bed.

Ishtar stared at him as he dressed. She was only in her undergarments, helpless if some drunken soldier came into his room.

"You'll get used to this," he smiled.

He walked out of the room locking the door as he left.

What was the point of tying me up if he locked the door? Ishtar asked herself. Man I really have to go to the bathroom.

She wiggled her head to the right and fell to her side. Getting some sleep was going to be hell.

-I have never in my life been raped and I don't plan to be! I have no freaking clue how I wrote this chapter or the next one!-


	14. Playing Around

I don't own Avatar! Review! I've never been raped and this is very discriptive!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"She's tied up…" Ten-ten whispered to Zuko who had been placed next to her in the other cell that Ishtar had occupied days before.

"Zhao will do anything to make himself feel big and powerful in front of anything or anybody," Zuko sighed.

"Would he brag about it though?" Ten-ten asked him.

"It depends on how bad it is…"

"Great. Would he brag about something creepy?" Ten-ten asked, not wanting to say the word sexual.

Zuko caught on. "No," he smirked. "He was taught to keep his emotions to himself at the Academy like everyone else. I don't even think that he has those kinds of emotions anyway. He's way to self absorbed."

"Are you sure about that?" Ten-ten asked, giving him a clue on what she thought.

"I hope that you don't mean…" Zuko started.

"No," Ten-ten whispered. "That's just my opinion."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Afternoon in Zhao's quarters…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zhao walked down the hallway and to his door. He pulled out his key and placed it in the hole.

Ishtar heard the lock click. She forced herself against the wall again in a sitting position. Her hands were aching and her ankles were feeling nonexistent. The door opened and she shut her eyes again. Her hair was blocking his view of her. He smiled as he walked toward her. Her eyes popped open and she stared at him.

He grabbed her head and smiled as she winced. He carefully removed the knot on the back of her head. He took the ribbon into his hands and grabbed the ribbon on her ankles. He forced her back forward and untied the knot on her wrists.

"Okay, if you never do that again I will listen to your every order, no matter how crazy it sounds," Ishtar whispered.

"Kiss me," he said.

She stopped for a moment and then thought of how painful the ribbons were. Mentally vomiting, she leaned forward and kissed him.

She pulled away quickly. "May I go to the bathroom? Please?" she asked.

Zhao nodded his head and opened the door. Ishtar grabbed her shirt and stuffed it on her head. It went past her thighs so she was okay. She walked out of the room and down the hallway.

"Come back as soon as you're done!" Zhao shouted so only she could hear him.

She turned around and nodded. She rolled her eyes and walked to the bathroom. She walked in and bashed her head on the sink purposely. Her head was angry that she lowered herself to kiss him. She walked to the toilet and went to the bathroom. She washed her hands and walked out of the bathroom, shutting the door. Her footsteps were again nonexistent as she walked.

She knocked on Zhao's door. He opened it and pulled her inside. He threw her on his bed.

"What are you…?!" Ishtar asked, shouting.

"Words aren't fun right now, just follow," he ordered kissing her.

Are you kidding me!? Ishtar shouted in her head.

"No! This is different than just a kiss…" Ishtar argued.

Zhao rolled his eyes and walked to his desk. "I was playing around the first time…" he smiled, grabbing her right wrist. He tugged at her shirt and pulled it off with is teeth while he tied her wrists together tightly. His teeth had dug into her skin when he tore off her shirt with them.

"Ouch…" Ishtar winced, feeling the ribbon pinch her skin.

Zhao forced her arms behind her back again He only had another ribbon in her hand and she knew it was for her ankles. He bent down to her ankles and knotted them. She winced again as he stripped to his boxers.

He kissed her mouth, not forcing his tongue into her mouth yet. He pushed her back up into the air again as he kneeled over her waist. His arm was supporting her again as he kissed, biting her lip softly.

She turned her head, wanting the kisses to stop but he started to kiss her neck. He

worked back over to her mouth and smiled. His hand started to travel down the side of her hip. He pulled his hand up and started to untie her bandages around her breasts. Ishtar's eyes grew big. She pushed her mouth away from him so she could talk.

"No…" she whispered.

"To bad," he whispered back, smiling as he placed one hand on the back of her neck. He hit it sharply, forcing her lust emotion to override itself without her knowing.

He picked at her bra until it became loose. He kissed furiously and surprisingly she kissed back. She moved her hips and wriggled before he untied her ankles. He pushed himself on her and noticed that her eyes were closed. The candles around the bed were blown out by Zhao's firebending as he kissed her naval.

He wriggled his boxers off and pulled off the last of her garments. He forced her into the air and moved. One arm held her up as the other attempted to untie that ribbon on her wrists. It came loose but he didn't care anymore as she kissed harder, biting his lip, she threw her tongue into his mouth. Both tongues snaked around each other and he bit her tongue.

She giggled a girlish giggle and scratched his back with her nails.

He was still on top, feeling her many perfect curves. His hand had traveled up her body once but he did it again to tease her. She racked his back with her fingers and smiled as she kissed.

He enjoyed the mood that she was in. He had apparently hit the right nerve on her perfect body that no normal man would resist. Both smiled at the same time and their teeth hit each other's. Zhao kissed deeply and felt the small curve of her stomach. Her back was arched and stretched to suit him.

Biting her lips to make them bleed again he pushed himself into her. She followed his lead like he had told her at the beginning of the entire escapade.

He propelled himself forward again and moaned. She groaned as he pierced an inner barrier that was normally only supposed to be broken by the man of her choosing. At the moment, her brain wasn't in service after Zhao hit her lust node point.

She kissed him hard and took in a deep breath of enjoyment.

STOP!!! Ishtar screamed in her head, fully conscious of what was going on. Please don't continue this! Please…anybody!?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning in Zhao's quarters…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar woke with a deep breath. The red silk sheets covered her. She felt the ribbon around her right wrist but not around her ankles. The ribbon around her wrist was loose as she wriggled in the sheets.

Steamy smoke was on the ceiling, covering it and layering it as Zhao's pride.

Feeling no clothes on her body she looked for Zhao. He was hugging her again; his heated breath fell on her skin. She pushed him away.

He woke up with a frown on his face.

"What did you do to me?!!" Ishtar asked, screaming. She grabbed a part of the silk and covered herself completely.

"Nothing much…" Zhao said, smiling.

"You're lying!" she shouted, enraged.

He moved closer to her. "You did most of the work…" he smiled, licking his lips.

"You are one sick, twisted man…" Ishtar stuttered. "You hit my nerve, causing me to loose control of my body."

She pushed herself against the wall, away from Zhao.

He followed and ended up pinning her again. He smiled and started to kiss her again. Working up her shoulder, he reached her mouth with his chest over her body. His arms were stretched over her back again, digging lustfully for a last hoping moment of feeling. She pushed him away with her now free arms and kicked him in the gut. He grabbed her again, smiling and laughing.

"I like it when you struggle," he smiled.

She moved away, trying to escape but ended up keeping him in an excited mood. He kissed her, getting rid of the last of his feelings and then she passed out.

Zhao licked his lips and rubbed his mouth. Noting that she was out cold, he pushed himself out of his bed. He grabbed his boxers and dressed himself. He looked down at her. The red silk covered her. Her arms were covering her breasts that were under the silk. He smiled and straightened his tight bun in the mirror. He took a final glance at the helpless girl and opened his door. He turned on his heels when he closed it and locked the door with a _click_.

Ishtar opened her eyes at the moment that she heard the door. Holding the bed sheets up to her bosoms, she moved out of the bed and grabbed her makeshift bra and underwear. She forced them on her body and tightened them. The red ribbon was still tied around her right wrist as she picked it off with her teeth.

She was now in her undergarments, searching for her clothes, praying to Roku that he didn't burn them off of her body. She stood off of the bed and coughed at the smoke that layered the ceiling. Water fell into her eyes to clear the smoke out of her sockets. She grabbed what used to be her shirt. A bite mark was at the back of her neck collar and she sighed. She felt the back of her neck and noticed a plump bruise that she knew was black and blue. She stuffed the shirt onto her thin body that hadn't gotten any food in a very long time.

I'm going to die of starvation, Ishtar thought.

She closed her eyes and tightened the string on the back of her shirt. She found her black leggings and noticed the burn marks where he had grabbed her lustfully. She stared at her legs and no mark was shown. She positioned the leggings under her body and then forced them up her legs. Holes where only on her hips and thighs, not anywhere above because he had already torn her pants off when he felt comfortable.

She found her white overlapping skirt and tightened it around her waist. She pulled out a bit of her shirt to make the shirt overlap some burn marks on the top of her skirt. Pushing her shoes on, she winced at the soreness from her ankles.

She eyed her ankles and saw blood ooze from them. She rubbed her ankles and felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. She curved over in torture and crashed to the flooring.

It's to early for a twinge of being pregnant… Ishtar thought, hoping that she wasn't pregnant. She stood up on her feet and grasped the wall. She felt another twinge and collapsed.

"Ouch…" she moaned.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't know Iroh…I think that we may have crossed into Fire Nation waters," Ashley sighed. "It's been about four days."

"Yeah but we were in the middle of the Earth Kingdom, in a cave, almost nowhere near water," Iroh groaned.

Ashley and Iroh were leaning back on each other through the bars. Both were whispering and talking to each other, not paying attention to the other cells.

"True, but this is a faster ship built with the latest technology," Ashley whispered.

"Also true. But the last time that I checked, we had to wriggle around in a small, curving river," Iroh argued.

Ashley listened to the creaking of the metal. Every sound seemed to be a warning that they were nearing someplace.

"We stopped…" Ashley muttered to Iroh.

"I know," he answered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zhao's quarters…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar moved her head and felt the ship come to a halt. "We can't be there already…" Ishtar muttered to herself. She moved to the door and her torture vanished. She pressed up against it, noticing that it was locked. She slid her back down the door and held her head in her knees. She thought loudly…I could break down the door if I could metalbend, I can wait until Zhao comes back and then push him to the side and escape but that would be a giant risk. He would catch me and then throw me in this room again. He went the 'whole way' once, and he wouldn't hesitate in doing it again. When I would escape, I would have to go directly to the prison and free my friends because he wouldn't hesitate to kill them. I have no idea where Royu is or if they even caught him. Poor Royu…they're probably starving him. If I can find Royu, now would be a perfect time to get out…but I can't bend anything.

The door opened behind her. She fell backwards on Zhao's feet.

"Sorry…" she mumbled, biting her tongue.

He grasped her hair and forced her down the hallway. "You're lucky that you got dressed girl," he snapped. His mood wasn't what she had remembered; something or someone pissed him off. Ishtar didn't like that notion. If he was mad, something awful was waiting for her. "Walk," he ordered, forcing her up the stairs.

He pushed her into a room that was slightly big. A table was in the center, food piled high. Ishtar held back her stomach from gurgling. The food was steaming and smelled like heaven. It was the first sign of food that she had seen in days. Mounds of rice would no longer be digested in her stomach after she escaped. Never again would she look at plain rice in the same way.

He threw her on the ground, showing her how he could shove her around. He sat on a cushion and gave her a plate.

"You look way to thin and the Fire Lord wouldn't want a dead Semi. Eat," he ordered. Ishtar sat on the cushion opposite from him and waited. "Why aren't you eating?" he asked.

"Umm…manners," Ishtar whispered. "I follow the manners my mother taught me and I have to wait for the male to eat or the one giving the meal," Ishtar said.

"Well, you learned discrete etiquette then," Zhao smiled, loading some food on her plate.

She was actually waiting for him to eat the food. Thinking that there wasn't a poison, she grasped the chopsticks at her right side.

She picked up the chopped fish and placed a piece in her mouth. She chewed as Zhao placed a portion of fish in his own mouth. He grasped the tea in the midpoint of the table and poured it for her and himself.

Ishtar placed her chopsticks in front of her. "Why did the ship stop a few minutes ago?" Ishtar asked, trying to hold a conversation.

"We needed more fuel until we reach Fire Nation waters next week," Zhao smiled, grasping his tea.

Ishtar chocked on her tea that she was drinking. "Next week?" she asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason…" she lied, knowing that he now had more time to rape her but she had more time to think of an escape plan.

Zhao grabbed another bite of fish with his chopstick and stuffed it in his mouth. Ishtar picked up her chopsticks again and continued to eat. She felt better after half of a fish and sadly, some more rice. The rice was flavored and tasty, not like the type she was forced to eat beforehand. Zhao had finished off a full fish, a spoonful of rice and some more tea before she even ate a half of a fish.

Ishtar finished off the fish as Zhao watched. She hated his eyes at the moment. Most firebenders had brown or hazel eyes and pure white skin. Ashley's eyes were dark brown. Her eyes were innocent and curious though, while Zhao had destructive eyes, the kind that only wanted power.

Her sleeve had slipped from the base of her hand and her wrists showed in the firelight.

Zhao looked at her wrists. They were bloody and bruised. He frowned.

Ishtar noticed what he was looking at and grabbed her sleeves. She pulled them down and looked at the empty plate.

The door opened up behind Ishtar.

"Admiral Zhao," a General said.

"What?" Zhao asked, annoyed.

"Sorry for disturbing you but the guards are having trouble talking with the prisoners," he muttered.

"Stay here," Zhao ordered as Ishtar moved to stand up. "Watch her," he commanded to the General.

"Of course Admiral," he said. Ishtar stared at the general as the door closed.

-I like to get reviews and since I have given you two chapters, I'd like double the reviews...-


	15. Senbon

**The top part was supposed to go in the last chapter but it kind of never made it there by mistake. Sorry about that, it was probably the only funny part of that chapter because the rest was serious. I don't own Avatar! Read and Review!**

"Aren't you one of the prisoners?" he asked.

Ishtar rolled her eyes. Apparently he's dumb, she said to herself. She nodded her head and placed her hands in her lap.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cells with an angry Zhao…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where's Lady Ishtar?!" Tamari ordered to Zhao.

His eyes became darker. "Eating," he said.

"What, are you forcing plain rice down her throat?" Tamari screamed.

"No," Zhao said. "She hasn't eaten in days."

"What do you mean she hasn't eaten in days?" Zuko asked.

"As I said before," Zhao said, smiling. "She's eating now, she knows that if she skips another meal, she'll die and be no help to you with her pathetic rescue plan."

"We want to talk to her!" Axe shouted, driving attention toward himself.

"Later. Is this all you want?" Zhao asked, smiling.

"How later?" Ten-ten asked.

"In the morning."

"Did we enter the Fire Nation?" Ashley asked.

"Good question. Why do you want the answer?" Zhao said, smirking.

"To pick off how much more time we have until we all die," Ashley said.

"Smart mouth," Zhao leered glaring at Ashley. "What's your name?"

"Isn't it in a file?" she asked back.

Zhao walked over to the wall. He picked up a file from the desk.

"Cell three," he smiled. "Ashley Mimosa. Age: fifteen. Firebender. Traitor…" he added. Ashley rolled her eyes. "From the Shizo Village. Parents: Kakashi and Kimi Mimosa. Killed by General Koru. Do I have to continue?"

"No…" Ashley whispered.

"Of course we know the parents of Zuko and Iroh. Son and brother of the Fire Lord. Each in cells six and two. Cell one…" he started looking at Axe. "Axe Quinoa. Age: sixteen. Earthbender. From Omashu, or what's left of it now… Parents: General Kin and Tsurisuta Quinoa. Both killed."

"My father isn't dead," Axe ordered.

"Yes he is…" Zhao said blandly. "Apparently when Commander Takai tried to invade Omashu, he killed your father."

"My father was positioned in Ba Sing Se!" Axe said.

"He was moved to protect Omashu." Axe looked horrified. He was now an orphan. "Cell five!" Zhao continued. "Ten-ten Rishori. Age: seven. No bending abilities? What a waste…" he grinned. She glared at him. "From Tankora Village. Parents: Akira and Ami Rishori. Both killed. Cell four," Zhao smiled, moving on. "Tamari Kauris. Age: sixteen. Waterbender. From the Northern Water Tribe. Parents: Senichi and Shika Kauris. You were betrothed to, Kemah Shiraki. All were killed in the battle from Captain Toyo," Zhao said coldly.

"Continue and I'll rip your head off," Tamari threatened.

"A threat coming from a girl behind bars…? How dumb of you," Zhao smiled. "I hope that everyone learned something about their 'comrades' today." He placed the files on the desk and walked out of the room.

"What was that?!" Tamari asked, screaming.

"I think he made himself feel bigger…" Ten-ten said, confused.

"He never did answer my question…" Ashley said, stunned.

"I didn't know that you were betrothed…" Axe said to Tamari, changing the subject.

"Yeah…the day of he proposed he was killed. We where friends for fifteen years," Tamari shrugged. "I'm past it now. Fighting to avenge him is my only goal at the moment."

"You're mental…" Zuko stuttered.

"Why? Your people killed my family. All of our families while you were walking around with the world being kind to you!" Tamari shouted.

"The world has never been kind to me! Take a look at me and you'll see that!" Zuko argued.

"Prince Zuko," Ten-ten sighed, "Stop please…"

Zuko leered at Ten-ten and then sighed. "Fine," he muttered, "take her side."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the dining room…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar stared as Zhao walked in. "You're dismissed," he told the General. The General walked out, closing the door tightly. Zhao walked to his cushion and sat down. "Your friends are the most whinny, incandescing, little cretins. They won't shut up. That Tamari girl would've been great at the Academy though…" he complained.

"She's a waterbender. She wouldn't stand five minutes in a Fire Nation Academy," Ishtar mumbled as she picked up her remaining tea and sipped.

She turned the last of the tea in her hand and sighed. "Here," Zhao said, heating up the teapot with his hand. He poured some tea for her and poured some for himself.

"Thank you," Ishtar said. She sipped and set it down on the table, half empty. "What did they want?"

"To see you again," Zhao said, rubbing his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Ishtar asked, pushing out her hand a bit.

"Fine, just a kink," he said.

"Do you want me to help?" Ishtar asked.

Zhao looked at her. "What was that again?" he asked, astonished.

Ishtar got up from her cushion and walked over to Zhao. She placed her hands on his shoulder and pressed down. She massaged his neck and shoulder. His muscles were tight and knotted. "You have a lot of stress," Ishtar smiled.

"No kidding," Zhao groaned, feeling his pain being lifted away. His hunger for her deepened but he kept his feelings to himself when he wasn't in his room. His hands gripped the table and his fingers squeezed the wood.

Ishtar noticed and frowned. He was becoming comfortable. There was a knock on the door. Ishtar bolted away from Zhao and his face returned to a stressful white. He placed his head in his right hand as he rested his elbow on the table. Ishtar pushed some of her hair behind her ear.

"What?" Zhao asked.

The door opened to reveal a Captain. "Admiral Zhao, the ship is done refueling," he said seriously.

"Great. Double check," Zhao ordered.

"Right away sir."

The door closed. "They won't leave you alone will they?" Ishtar asked in a sexy, adult voice.

Her voice made him smile. "No they won't. I'm surprised that half of them passed the Academy," Zhao sighed.

Ishtar walked over to him again and continued to give him a massage. Her body was going to kill her for this. She stretched his muscle and felt the base of his neck.

"You put something in the tea didn't you?" Ishtar asked, feeling slightly weird because she would never to this to her enemy.

"Yep," Zhao said at once, feeling his pain disappear again.

After the remnants of the dinner were completed Zhao lead her to his quarters again. He threw her inside and tore off her blouse. He stared down hungrily and finished off the last of his stress while she struggled to get away under him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cell…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"He's an idiot!" Tamari shouted.

"Who? Zhao or Zuko?" Axe asked, yawning.

"Zhao! Why would you say Zuko?" Tamari asked.

"You were yelling at him before and I just assumed…" Axe yawned.

"Drop it you two," Ashley ordered. "Go to bed. We need our rest."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Morning in Zhao's quarters…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar woke up with a start. Her head hurt badly. Her undergarments weren't on under the sheets. Zhao had taken advantage of her during the night. She looked around, not seeing Zhao in the room so she got out of bed and started to dress herself.

The door opened up. Ishtar jumped back under the covers, afraid that some soldier was being a peeping tom. Zhao looked down at her head being poked out at the end of the bed.

"Put these on," he ordered, throwing some clothes her way. He walked to his desk and pulled out a feather to start writing a letter. She pulled the covers off of her body and started to take off the shirt that she managed to get on. She pulled it over her head and looked at the shirt that Zhao had given her. It was a little tighter than the shirt that she had taken off but she placed it over her body without a rejection.

"What did you put in that tea last night?" Ishtar asked, not thinking about herself waking up nude.

"Why?"

"It really hurt my head," Ishtar said, wincing.

Zhao turned his head to stare at her. "What do you mean?" he asked as he stared lustfully at her.

"I feel awful right now."

"Oh, that's just a side effect."

"What do you mean a side effect?" Ishtar asked, wanting to know what happened to her body.

"The tea was supposed to make you relax. I use it all of the time," Zhao said.

"And do you get a headache?"

"First time I did."

Ishtar moved herself out of the bed as Zhao looked away. She placed her leggings

on her legs and shivered. The entire outfit was red and black. This was his way of controlling her in his mind. Making her dress like she was beaten mentally by forcing her to wear the Fire Nations' colors. She found the skirt piece and placed it on her body. That's when she noticed that her sleeves were short and they didn't reach her slain wrists.

"Admiral Zhao?" Ishtar questioned.

"What?" he asked, turning his head. She held out her arms. "Oh, that…" he said.

"Yeah, that," she repeated. Zhao dug in his desk and pulled out a pair of gloves without the fingertips.

"Here," he said as he threw them to her. She placed the gloves on her hands. They covered her bloody wrists and she turned them to make sure that they covered all around. They did and Zhao threw a ribbon to her. "Pull your hair up," he ordered. "You look sloppy with it down."

"It usually is up but you caught us while we were sleeping in the cave…" Ishtar said as she pulled her hair up. The end of the ribbon was in her mouth as she positioned the ponytail. She tied the ponytail with the ribbon. "Better?" she asked.

"Better."

"Why did you give me these new clothes?" Ishtar asked.

"No reason," he answered. He stood up from his desk and tapped her. "Are you coming?"

Ishtar stood up and walked behind him. She hoped that they were going to the prison cell so she could see her friends. They got to the door and he opened it. He allowed her to walk in by herself. He shut the door and walked down the hallway to meat the helmsman.

"Lady Ishtar!" Tamari shouted, forcing eyes around the room to stare at her.

"Hey guys. What's up?" she asked.

"Why is your outfit red?" Ashley asked.

"You're not one to talk!" Ten-ten snickered.

"The real question is why is she wearing gloves?"

"Why are you wearing gloves?" Ten-ten asked.

That questioned caught Zuko's interest. Iroh turned his head too, staring at her.

"Just part of the outfit…" Ishtar lied.

Ten-ten glanced at Zuko. 'She's lying,' she mentally told him.

'I know,' he said back.

"You still look way to skinny," Ashley said.

"I'm all right. What about you guys?"

"We're fine," Tamari said for them all. "Why are you scratching the tip of your glove?" she asked.

"Just a bit itchy…" Ishtar said. She had been leaning over to Zuko's cell. He

stood up silently and grabbed her left wrist. Her reflexes were slow from being malnourished a couple of days ago. He grabbed tightly and pulled her arm into his cell. He tore off the base of her glove and stared in horror.

She pulled her hand out of his cell but her glove stayed in his hand. She wrapped her other hand around the slice marks and glared at him.

"Did he do that to you?" Zuko asked, throwing her glove.

"What is it?!" Ashley asked.

"It looks like she cut herself…" Axe said slowly.

"No, it's nothing like that…honest. You don't have to worry," Ishtar smiled weakly placing the glove back on her wrist.

"Did you do that or did he do it?" Tamari asked.

Ishtar didn't say anything. Iroh glared at her. She looked around and met Iroh's eyes. "I just caught a sharp piece of metal that was hanging loosely on the ship…" she lied.

"Is that from when you were tied up?" Ten-ten asked, remembering that emotion.

"No, I was never tied up," she argued.

"They aren't rope marks," Zuko sighed.

"You couldn't have cut both of your wrists without doing it purposely, why do you have two gloves on?" Iroh asked.

"Come on. Only one glove would look stupid," she smiled. There was a knock on the door and Ishtar knew that it was time for her to leave. "Goodbye guys," Ishtar smiled. "Oh, stop complaining please?"

Tamari stood up. "Why?" she asked.

"Because I asked," Ishtar said as she disappeared behind the door.

"He has her hypnotized or something," Ten-ten spat.

"She's not telling us anything. I mean, come on. It doesn't take an idiot to know that something either has her scared out of her mind or someone has her frightened. It must be something awful…" Tamari sighed.

Zuko punched the wall. "What's wrong with you?" Ashley asked.

"Nothing…" Zuko said as he rubbed his knuckles. Zuko had figured it out. Zhao tied her up tightly with something other than rope and not metal. It had to have been some kind of cloth. Silk maybe.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zhao and Ishtar walking down the hallway…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Did you have a nice visit?" Zhao asked.

"Fine," Ishtar exhaled.

"Why are you completely white?" Zhao asked, holding her chin as they stopped walking.

"I just still feel bad…" she answered.

"Oh, do you want to rest a bit while I go check on the crew?" he asked.

"Sure…" Ishtar sighed.

"Go straight to my quarters."

"Okay."

She walked away from him and continued to move toward his room. She opened the door and walked in. Something was wrong with her as she fell into the bed and curled herself into a ball. She stuffed her arm beneath her head and fell asleep quickly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lunchtime…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar woke up as Zhao shook her.

"Feel any better?" he asked.

Ishtar sat up. "I think so. Never ever give me that tea again…" she said.

"Fine."

Zhao pulled her off of the bed and walked her to the door. He walked first out of the door and she followed. He opened another door and walked in. Ishtar followed, her stomach still barely hurting but enough to keep her diligent. It was a dark room until Zhao firebended the candles. The room was bright.

Ishtar stared in horror at the walls. They were lined with weapons of different nations and people. Zhao caught her eye. He had pulled out a thin needle from a case that was very recognizable to Ishtar.

"I believe that this was yours?" Zhao asked.

"Yes," Ishtar answered. "How do you have it?"

"You had them on you when we took you from that cave," Zhao smiled, holding the weapon the incorrect way. The sharp tip collided with his skin. It cut deeply in his palm. He dropped the weapon on the floor and Ishtar grabbed his hand.

"I used to do that all of the time. Sharp aren't they?" Ishtar asked.

"Sharper than I thought they were," Zhao said, pulling away his hand.

"Give me your hand," Ishtar ordered. Zhao gave it to her. She pulled out the ribbon in her head and tied it around his hand. She tied it tightly around the dripping blood. "There," she smiled, trying to make herself cute so that Zhao would look at her as a person and not a _toy_.

"Thanks. How do you use one of those?" Zhao asked.

Ishtar frowned. She bent down and picked up her prized weapon. She held it in her hand the proper way, between her fingers while the blunt end in her palm. "They're called senbon needles. They're a tool used for medical purposes but can be used as a weapon if you know how to wield them. My mom taught me when I was four," Ishtar sighed.

Zhao smiled. "Good, then you can teach me."

Ishtar stared at him. "It took me years just to understand how to throw them on a wide target. You'd end up killing someone if you don't have the proper aim," Ishtar said as she laid the weapon down on the table, knowing that it was to early to use it against him.

"That wasn't just asking. That's an order."

Ishtar frowned and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Go find a place that is open and that you won't be able to kill anybody," Ishtar sighed.

"Grab the bag then. You get to start teaching me today," Zhao smiled. Ishtar grabbed the bag and started to walk to the door. "Watch the string at the door," he said. Ishtar stepped over the string. "It's connected to an alarm," he answered before she even asked.

"Okay," she said as she followed behind him, the bag of senbon needles in her hands. She opened the bag a bit and took out one senbon needle. That's all I would need, she said to herself. Zhao led her to the deck of the ship.

The salty air stung her nostrils but there was no breeze. They were still stationed in a docking area. He walked to the edge of the ship and smiled. "What are you going to teach me first?" he asked.

"How to hold the weapon properly," she said, pulling out a senbon needle and placing it between her fingers. "You hold this particular weapon between your fingers. The blunt end goes into your palm," she said.

"Give me one of them then," he ordered.

Ishtar placed the senbon needle that she held in his right and dominant hand. She pulled out another needle for herself. "There are eight targets that you don't want to hit," Ishtar said.

"Why?" Zhao asked. "What are they?"

"The targets are the targets of death. If you hit one of these targets the victim would die and instant and painful death. They are, the throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, the kidney and the heart. Do you know where all of these are on the body?" Ishtar asked, defending her position as his teacher.

"Yes. I have to," Zhao said smiling.

Great, a psychopath…Ishtar thought.

"Do you want me to demonstrate how to use one of these?" she asked, holding one up.

"Sure," he said, waving to a guard to come over. The guard walked over weakly, not understanding that he was going to be a demonstration. Ishtar bolted her hand in the air and struck without warning. The needle pierced the opening in his neck. Ishtar ran behind the falling guard and caught his back before he hit the ground.

"There. Were you paying attention?" Ishtar asked as a nearby soldier dropped his box in fear.

"Is he dead?" Zhao asked.

"No, I don't kill."

"Oh. Why isn't he breathing then?"

"It's a fake death, almost premature and an incomplete death. He'll get out as soon as I take out the needle," Ishtar grinned as she moved her hand to take out the needle. "The needles need to be taken out carefully. If you rip them out, then he will die," Ishtar frowned as she pulled the needles out slowly. The soldier started to breath again. He moved his arms and tried to stand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Ishtar warned. Zhao smiled a bit. He was going to have fun with this lesson, using soldiers as dummies to practice on when they were the ones that caused him stress. The soldier started to cough a bit, bringing the blood circulation back into his heart. "Um…you might want to rest for the day…" Ishtar said, looking at Zhao.

"You can go," Zhao sternly replied, knowing that the needles were dangerous.

Ishtar frowned. "Try and throw it," she said. "Not at another person. To the railing," she added.

Zhao threw the needle toward the railing. Ishtar, knowing that the needle was too high threw her needle in the air. The two needles clanged together. The force was canceled. Ishtar smiled as she jumped on the railing to sit.

"How'd you do that?" Zhao asked.

"Practice," Ishtar smiled. "The forces that both gave off canceled each other when they hit. I noticed that the needle was going to go over the edge so I just threw my needle."

"How'd you hit it precisely? When I barely saw it?" Zhao questioned.

"Years of practice," she added.

**I like all of you so much that I gave you two chapters! I was away all weekend on a camping trip and I brought my laptop with me so I'm actually ahead of myself by a lot. Read and Review! I know that Ishtar is being nice to Zhao after what he did to her but she's trying to make him think of her as a person and not just a _plaything..._**


	16. The Great Escape

**Review after you read! You know you want to! The bending things will be described at the bottom…**

**I don't own Avatar.**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison cells…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Metalbend!" Ashley shouted to Axe. "What has Lady Ishtar taught you about metalbending?"

"Nothing. That's a gene that's carried down. Kinda like lightningbending, dragonbending, plantbending, weatherbending, or visionbending," Axe sighed.

"I didn't know there were so many bending traits…" Zuko whispered.

"Yes. Fire and water have two and every other nation has one. Fire only has two because one only the Avatar can obtain," Iroh said.

"I'm guessing that it's dragonbending because Azula is no Avatar. You're not an Avatar and I'm not an Avatar," Zuko sneered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner with Zhao and Ishtar…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar moved her hand for some tea. "I wouldn't take that one," he said. "The one on your right is the one that you would rather have," Zhao smiled.

Ishtar blinked her eyes. She was kind of honored that he wasn't going to lure her into something.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prison…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ten-ten felt her nose. She felt a sneeze coming on. "Ah…ah…ah…ahchoo!" Ten-ten sneezed, forcing her body back into the wall from her airbending. She rubbed her nose and looked at the door. It was blown off its hinges. "What?" Ten-ten asked as everybody stared.

"Get us out of here!" Tamari shouted.

Ten-ten stood up and rubbed her head. She ran over to the desk that supported the files and searched the drawers. She forced the drawer open and closed with a disappointed look on her face. "There isn't a key!" Ten-ten shouted.

"Just sneeze again!" Ashley shouted.

"I can't! Lady Ishtar didn't teach me that stuff yet!" Ten-ten shouted back.

"She's teaching you?! She knows!? You can airbend!?" Axe shouted.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Continuation of dinner…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ship rumbled a bit.

"What was that?" Ishtar asked Zhao.

"I don't know…" Zhao answered as he stood up.

"Admiral Zhao! There was an explosion in the Prison Hold!" a guard shouted as he bolted in through the door.

"What?!" Ishtar shouted as she bolted from the table and ran to the prison cells. Zhao followed behind as he was followed closely by a troop of guards.

"Move!" Zhao ordered angrily as he threw a soldier to the side. He caught up to Ishtar and grabbed her. "You stay here," he ordered.

"No!" she shouted. "These are my friends. The last thing that I'm going to let you do is hurt them!" she shouted as she started to twist her arm out of Zhao's grip. He let go and she bolted straight for the cells. Her skirt fluttered behind her and she started to sprint down the hallway, grabbing the walls for the turning corners. She made it to the door and forced it open. She turned sharply and shut it. Locking it with the senbon that she saved, she took in a deep breath. She turned around and stared at the broken cell with a awkwardly smiling Ten-ten. "What did you…?" Ishtar shouted.

"Uh…I sneezed…" Ten-ten smiled.

"You blew up the cell…" Ishtar frowned. She walked over to Axe's cell and shoved the sharp end of the senbon needle in the lock. She thrust the needle in as somebody pounded on the door. The cell door popped open and Axe ran out to push against the door that led to the prison. "Hold him there with metalbending! You learned a bit. Start going ahead!" Ishtar shouted as she ran to Zuko's cell. "This will take way to long…" Ishtar implored.

"You can metalbend!" Zuko shouted.

"No! I can't. I can't bend at all right now…" Ishtar screamed as she forced the needle in and jiggled it around. The door swung open and Ishtar moved to the next cell. She grabbed the end of the blown apart cell to get to Iroh. "Zuko! Help me!" she shouted. Zuko ran over to her and started to pull the other end of the cell door. They shoved the heavy steel to the floor and she stuffed the senbon needle in the door.

Ten-ten had been snapping her fingers in Tamari's lock. The moving air had finally jiggled the lock open and Tamari shoved herself out. "Tamari!" Ashley shouted, desperate to get free.

"What should we do Lady Ishtar?" Tamari asked.

"Zuko! Switch places with Axe! Axe! Punch the wall inside your cell! Tamari! When water comes through the cell, bend it through the floor! Ten-ten! Get Ashley out of her cell!" Ishtar shouted, struggling with Iroh's lock.

All followed her orders. Axe punched the wall, forcing his metalbending abilities to become violent. Tamari grabbed the water and froze it into ice. Water was poring in on everyone's feet as Zuko had trouble dealing with the army who had started to unlock the door. "Axe!" he shouted. "I need help over here!" Axe rushed over and shoved his arms on the door.

Ten-ten blew on Ashley's lock, freezing it open. Ashley punched her side of the lock and broke the joints to the lock piece. She pushed the door and stepped out. She moved over to Tamari and ran past to help Axe and Zuko.

"Open the door!" Zhao ordered. "You won't get far. You're in a closed room!"

"No duh!" Axe smirked as he pushed the metal around the door.

Ishtar had no other choice. She positioned her hand over the blunt end of the needle with and open palm.

"What are you…?" Iroh asked. He was to late. Her hand pounded on the end of the needle. The lock clicked but half of the needle was in Ishtar's left hand. She pulled the needle out of the lock and out of her hand. The hole in her hand was larger than it would've been if she had used the sharp end. She gritted her teeth and grabbed Iroh's hand. The left glove was bloody and torn as she continued to hold the senbon needle. The needle itself lusted for blood. She rushed over to the hole that Tamari had been making in the floor. She let go of Iroh and waved her hand. Tamari stopped her bending. Ishtar breathed deeply.

"Get out!" Ishtar roared. "Ten-ten! Go with Axe and Tamari to find Royu! He's in one of the bottom layers."

Ten-ten nodded as she grabbed Axe and Tamari. She forced them down the hole. Ishtar had three firebenders around her now. She waved her hand to get them moving down the hole. All jumped down the hole with ease and then Ishtar looked down. "Are you coming?" Zuko asked as he looked up.

"Not yet. Get moving," Ishtar ordered as she smiled a worried smile. Zuko nodded his head. Ashley pulled Iroh to the side and started to run. Zuko looked up to her one last time and she nodded, jumping down. "Go, I'll be there in a minute. Go up to the deck of the ship and whistle when you hear Royu," Ishtar ordered.

"Okay, be safe," he said as he kissed her. Ishtar felt a connection and she pushed him away, her face blushing a rose.

"I will," Ishtar smiled as she looked up and climbed to the to the barged in door. Zuko ran to catch up to Ashley and Iroh. He wasn't worried about her because he knew that she was strong.

Be safe…he had said. What a stupid thing to say, he shouted in his head. Of course she'd be safe!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Running with Ten-ten, Axe and Tamari…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Where do you think they would keep him?" Axe asked, huffing out a breath.

"I wouldn't know. She said to check one of the bottom layers…" Tamari whispered. They stopped as a soldier turned his head in the hallway, hearing their footsteps.

Ten-ten pushed herself in front of everyone and took in a deep breath. She blew the breath and it forced the soldier into the wall causing him to become unconscious. Tamari and Axe stopped running and stared. "What?" Ten-ten asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"You're getting pretty good at that. How are you an airbender!?" Axe asked as he started to run again.

"I don't know…" Ten-ten huffed as she ran. "Lady Ishtar just told me over my seventh birthday…"

"Move!" Tamari shouted as they ran faster, now being chased by guards.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar in the Prison…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're late Zhao…they're already gone," Ishtar whispered as he tore through the door.

"Ignore the girl and chase the others," Zhao ordered. The soldiers followed his orders, ran past her and jumped down the hole. "Why are you still here? Plan to kill me?"

"It depends…" Ishtar smirked.

The air around them had become heavy and dense. Ishtar looked up to the ceiling. Something was wrong. Nothing with her friends, something was going to happen to her.

A whirlwind of air formed around her body. Her clothes changed and her face became painted. Ishtar screamed a bloodcurdling cry in pain.

Zuko stopped running with his uncle and Ashley. He heard her scream and stopped. "Go ahead! Whistle when you hear Royu. I'm gonna go check on Ishtar!" Zuko yelled as he turned back and sprinted.

Soldiers rushed past him as he crept through a corner and hid. He sprinted to where the hole was and felt a blowing wind hurl him up into the air. Zuko looked up the hole. His body was almost lifted in the air as he grasped onto a pole from the powerful wind. The wind stopped and he listened.

"Avatar Kyoshi?" Zhao asked, horrified.

"It is I," Avatar Kyoshi answered in Ishtar's body that was now changed. "What have you done to this girl?" she asked in a monotone voice.

"What do you care?" Zhao asked.

Avatar Kyoshi held up her fans. Zhao tightened up his muscles. His face straightened and Zuko cringed. "This girl is broken. Heart and soul!" Kyoshi shouted.

"Isn't that the point?" Zhao smiled.

"You didn't do what a normal prisoner holder would do," Kyoshi frowned feeling her back burn with the scars from Zhao's fingernails. "You raped her."

Zuko felt his jaw drop. WHAT!? He shouted in his mind.

"Not only did you rape her, you threatened her with her friends' lives," Kyoshi frowned, now leering at him. "She is not in love with you. Her heart is taken for another. You may not understand that," Kyoshi scowled.

"She wanted it…" Zhao retorted.

"When?" Kyoshi asked. "She ordered you to stop. You pressed her nerve nod points. You tied her up. There are slits on both of her wrists from trying to escape. There are cuts on her ankles as well. She has lied to her friends saying that she was 'okay'. She was only worried about them. You violated her, forced yourself on her, almost making her fear for her life. You drugged her, made her uncomfortable and then toyed with her head," Kyoshi shouted.

Zuko listened to every word. The gloves on her hands, he thought. The marks under them…she was hiding them from us. She was ashamed, he said in his head.

"Maybe you should feel that yourself?" Kyoshi smirked. "In the 'other side'."

"Take me over then. I've been over once. I can get out again," Zhao threatened. "Where is Roku? Isn't he her guardian?" Zhao asked changing the subject.

"Being the last female Avatar, it was better for me to morph with her body. Roku is busy with the real Avatar right now," she frowned. "Don't go up to the deck with your crew to save your life since Ishtar was never going to kill you in the first place," Kyoshi smirked, looking down at the senbon needle in her hand.

"I don't care about the life of my crew," Zhao shouted as he moved forward. "Their lives mean nothing to me."

"I see," Kyoshi said, turning around and jumping down the hole. Kyoshi glared at the staring Zuko. "Come with me," she ordered. Zuko mindlessly followed. Kyoshi started to run as Zuko followed. "Zhao will follow. It's your job to teach Aang firebending. You must protect Ishtar as well. You may not say a single word about what you heard or else I will kill you myself," Kyoshi smiled, showing her teeth through her covered face. "Do you understand?"

"Yeah…" Zuko managed to get out. "He raped her?"

Kyoshi looked at him. "Not a further word," she threatened.

"Okay," Zuko answered as a twister collided with Avatar Kyoshi. Ishtar came back as she stopped running. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"I feel like I'm going to hurl," Ishtar frowned. "Didn't I tell you to go to the deck with Iroh and Ashley?"

"Yeah, I heard you scream so I came back," Zuko said as he picked her off of her feet and he started to run with her in his arms.

"Wait, I was screaming?" Ishtar asked. "I haven't screamed since I was a child."

"You were screaming."

Zuko busted through the door that led to the deck. Iroh was caught in the soldiers' hands while Ashley was struggling. "Let me go!" Ashley ordered.

"Drop the girl…" Zhao ordered, walking out of the crowd. Zuko placed her on the ground softly. The door opened up behind them and Ten-ten, Axe and Tamari were dragged out of the shadows without Royu. "Get the _Prince_," Zhao ordered two guards.

Ishtar looked around. Everyone was struggling except Iroh who was staring at Zuko. "Let them go," Ishtar ordered as she grabbed her shaking left hand.

"No," Zhao said as he walked over to Ishtar.

Ishtar had no other choice. "Get away from her!" Zuko shouted as he forced himself out of the soldiers' grip and punched Zhao squarely in the jaw.

Zhao was sent flying to his right. The guards attacked Zuko and forced him to the ground. One sat on top of him, holding his hands behind his back. Ashley stopped struggling as Ten-ten started. "Prince Zuko!" Ten-ten shouted. "Get off of him!"

"Throat, spinal column, lungs, liver, the jugular vein, the subclavian artery, the heart and kidney," Ishtar laughed as she held up the senbon needle that had been locked in her hand.

Zhao took a step back. "The eight death targets?" he asked as he rubbed his aching jaw.

"Yep, you know that I'm not one for killing though…" Ishtar grinned. Ishtar looked at the side of the ship. Nobody was standing at the railing. She started to sprint for the railing.

"Lady Ishtar!" Ten-ten shouted. "What are you…?!"

"Grab her!" Zhao shouted.

Ishtar jumped on the soldiers and knocked them to the ground. She continued to run over to the edge of the railing. She grasped the railing and hurled her body over the edge. Zhao ran over to the railing and looked over the edge.

She felt the air rush past her ears. The salty air opened her eyes and she took a deep breath. She flipped her body around and dove into the water, her hands crisping together in a perfect formation. She vanished in the deep water, the blue crushing her outline.

"Dude, she just killed herself…" Axe stuttered. "That's like…a fifty story drop…"

Ishtar had projected herself into the water and had sunk into the deep with a dive. The ship was still moving on its course.

"Cut the engines!" Zhao ordered. The engines shut off immediately as Zhao looked deeply into the water. "She's still down there."

"She's dead! WAH! Lady Ishtar!" Ashley shouted.

"Shut her up!" Zhao bellowed. The soldiers covered her mouth. Ashley shut up immediately and stood there, listening to the sea below them. "She can't hold her breath forever," Zhao alleged.

The ship creaked and shook. Everybody stopped breathing in order to listen intently. Something was moving in the water, creeping up the side of the ship slowly and then increasing its speed.

Spirals of green vegetation wrapped around the railing.

"What in the hell?" Zhao whispered to himself.

The ship creaked and screamed in pain. Zhao backed away from the balustrade outline and quivered. Something was happening that was way worse than a past Avatar coming back to the 'real' world. "Should you kill it?" a voice asked from bellow. "Or should you leave it be?" the voice asked again.

"Kill it!" Zhao ordered to his remaining troops.

Fire erupted from the hands that were supposed to kill the raging beast that was overcoming the ship. Vines skipped over the flames and laughed in their faces as they grasped them and hiked the firebenders into the air. The helmets fell off of their heads and pounded to the steel below them as a girl pushed herself over the railing with water. Ishtar was drenched in seawater as she smiled a bit. The guards on her friends gripped heavily on their arms.

Ishtar frowned. "Are you going to let them go yet?" she asked in the creepy voice that had emitted from the side of the ship just seconds earlier. The soldiers dropped the arms of her friends. Ishtar pressed her fingers to her lips and blew. A shrill whistle erupted from her mouth. A heavy growling sound followed later. "Ah…" Ishtar smiled. "So he is on the ship." Ishtar felt the warmth of her body heat as she smiled.

A bang of metal could be heard as everyone held his or her ears, trying to block out the sound. "Get her! Ignore the plant! Get the girl!" Zhao shouted.

The soldiers did nothing. "It seems that your leadership has yet to be desired by the crew," Ishtar said, smirking as she walked over to Zhao.

Zuko could feel his heart skip beats as she continued her soft gait on the steel. Water followed her, as did the plants, waiting for her every command, staring at her calm, lush body. "My crew will listen to every order that I give them!" Zhao shouted, a bit of saliva coming out of his mouth.

"Some leader you are then…" Ishtar laughed, nodding her head over to the crew.

"Lady Ishtar?" Ten-ten asked, knowing that this wasn't the Lady she had shared a pillow with on warm nights under the stars.

Ishtar wasn't paying attention to the girl almost crying. Ishtar forced the water over the remaining crewmembers that weren't hanging in the air by their ankles. The water froze quickly over the soldiers. Their very moments were printed in individual blocks of ice, shielding them from the attacks that she was about to leash out on the rest of the crew.

"You and your crew have lucked out. I'm not going to kill you or them. Learn your boundaries the next time that you catch me…" Ishtar smiled as she blew on Zhao. Her icy breath iced the inside of his nostrils. The ice traveled down to his lungs and he stood there, frozen with his crew. Ishtar's eyes grew white as she turned to her friends. She turned back around with an evil grin and stared at the remaining crew hanging in the air. Her hand crept out to the side with a venomous force.

"Lady Ishtar!" Ten-ten shouted as she ran to her 'sister' and grasped her waist. "Don't do what you're about to do! Let them go! Please?" Ten-ten begged.

Ishtar's right eye stared at the girl around her waist, preventing her to move forward. Ishtar's look softened as she stared at the tears streaming down her 'sisters' face. The light in her eyes disappeared as Ten-ten grasped tighter around her hips. The vines started to drop the soldiers one by one and then started to die. They rotted slowly on the ship as Ishtar placed her extended hand to her lips. She blew through two of her fingers and another growl overcame the rotting sound.

Following the growl, a sharp bang and then a peeling sound forced the fear to surge to the remaining crews' eyes. A heavier growl was noted as the dragon flew from his cell and down the halls, his tail banging on the walls loudly. Ishtar knew where Royu was. His tail continued to bang as he forced his way through the floors. The steel curved as he covered his body in heat.

His heated breath erupted though the opening that led to the deck. Ishtar frowned as she rubbed Ten-ten's head. "Sorry…" Ishtar mumbled as she picked Ten-ten up into her arms. Ten-ten grasped Ishtar's shirt and held on tightly as Ishtar grasped the mane to Royu's head. There were no more reins on his neck as she placed Ten-ten between her legs, grasping her chest to make sure that she wasn't going to fall. "Are you coming or are you just going to stand there?" Ishtar asked coldly, not looking at Iroh, Zuko, Tamari, Ashley, or Axe.

"Coming!" Tamari shouted as she pushed herself on Royu's back. Axe jumped on next followed by Ashley and then Iroh. Zuko stood for a minute and then jumped on Royu's back.

Royu snorted at all of the weight and then compelled himself to sore into the air. Ishtar felt icy stares on the back of her neck. "Sorry guys…" she apologized. "I went a little overboard."

"Literally!" Tamari laughed. "But I think we all understand!"

Everyone nodded except Zuko and Iroh. Iroh looked back at his nephew and felt a twinge of heat fill his body.

**I just love you guys so much that I added two chapters. I even let Ishtar escape! I have a secret though, Ishtar will meet Zhao later and something happens between Ishtar and Zuko that you'll want to hear about. But, when Zhao catches her next time…**

**Friend: Shut up! You tell them enough already!**

**Me: Fine…read and review!**

**Lightningbending- bending lightening**

**Dragonbending- bending lava and light underwater**

**Plantbending- bending water into plants**

**Visionbending- making stuff like mirages**

**Weatherbending- bending the clouds and weather to make storms and snow**

**-I didn't include sandbending because sand is earth.**-


	17. A Home Destroyed

**I hope that you like this chapter and if you want to flame it, go right ahead dammit! I dare ya! My friend and I will be all over you like white on rice!**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

End of a long day of traveling…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar grasped a sleeping Ten-ten and jumped to the ground. Ashley fell off sleepily and yawned. "I can't believe that we traveled all day…" she trailed off, sitting on the grass.

"Yeah," Axe agreed. "I'm getting some much needed shuteye tonight. We're finally out of Zhao's fist! Yeah!" he whispered sleepily.

"Agreed, but now we have no place to go. It's not like we can return to the cave," Tamari yawned.

"We'll discus this in the morning," Iroh said for Ishtar as she placed Ten-ten on Royu's stomach. "First we'll get some sleep," he completed as he laid his head down on Royu as well. Everyone followed and softly slept.

Ishtar had her eyes open. She wasn't going to go to sleep yet. She stood up from Royu and patted his head as she walked past. Zuko waited for a while, not wanting her to catch on quickly.

Ishtar walked through the bush without making a sound and she sprinted to a creek. She kneeled at the base and pulled off her gloves. She picked at her shirt and untied it. She pulled off her pants and threw them on her shirt as she walked into the water. She smiled as the cold water refreshed her body. She dove into the water and popped her head up to obtain air.

She was still in her undergarments and she shivered in the cold. She dunked her head under again and wadded to a rock. She glanced at the rock in the moonlight and frowned. She pulled herself away from the rock and back to the grass shore. She pulled herself out and glanced at her wrists.

Bending some water to her hands, she forced it to glow. She placed the glowing water to her left wrist and waited. She removed the water. The scar was still there. "Come on!" she whispered. "Heal! Please!" she begged.

Zuko watched in the light. He wasn't staring at her lush body that was half nude; he was wondering what she was doing. Her hand was on her wrist again with the glowing orb of water and she held her breath.

Is she healing that scar? Zuko asked himself.

Ishtar stopped placing the orb to her wrist. She violently threw the water to the side and knelt over the water, head in her hands. Zuko snapped a twig. Ishtar heard the sound and grabbed her shirt to cover herself. "Who's there?" she asked.

Zuko stepped out of the bushes and walked to her. She threw on her shirt to cover herself and she glared at him. "It's just me…" Zuko hushed as he walked.

Her hair was soaked and her face, streamed with tears or the water that had traveled down her face, Zuko couldn't descript which one it was.

"Why are you here? Didn't I warn you the last time about following people around?" Ishtar asked, almost sobbing.

"Are you shivering or crying?" Zuko asked, ignoring the question given.

"Shivering! I don't cry…" Ishtar said hastily.

"It's okay…I know. Avatar Kyoshi told me not to tell, but I think that you need someone right now…" Zuko smiled, trying to comfort her.

"Kyoshi? When did you talk to Kyoshi?" Ishtar asked, horrified.

"When you were in the prison cell… She came out and then…she explained it to Zhao…and I overheard… It's a long story…" Zuko stuttered as he held the back of his neck.

Ishat was listening, tears mixed with the wet water of her face as she sniffled. They stared a second and then Ishtar leapt forward and grabbed his shoulders. She held them tightly and sank into them. Her shirt was halfway off, showing her back where Zhao dug his nails into them. "Don't tell anybody… Not even Iroh! I don't want anybody to know…nobody…do you understand?" Ishtar asked, sinking into his shirt.

"Fine," he said, peering at her scared back in the moonlight. "What all did he do to you? Other than…_that_?"

"That's all I was there for. That's why he wanted me to take the deal. He only forced me twice I think. But he did _other_ things to me…" Ishtar sobbed.

Zuko hugged her. He held tightly. "I won't let anybody do that to you again. Nobody…" he whispered in her ear as he kissed her cheek.

They laid in the moonlight until Ishtar fell asleep. Zuko stroked her hair, pulling her shirt over her body to keep her warm. Tears still forced themselves out of her eyes as Zuko fell asleep.

Ishtar woke at dawn, her hands on Zuko's chest. She blinked her eyes and then bolted up. She bended the remaining water out of her hair and pulled on her pants. She tied her shirt as Zuko opened his eyes. She held her hand out to him and he grasped it. She pulled him off of the ground and smirked. Zuko smirked back as he rubbed his neck.

"I can't believe that we spent the whole night laying here…" Ishtar whispered as they started to walk away from the pool of water.

"I can't either. I think that I like sleeping on Royu better than I like to sleep on a rock though…" Zuko laughed as his arm crept around to Ishtar's shoulder. He placed it there and waited for Ishtar to take it off of herself like always but she didn't.

"Zuko…" Ishtar whispered, pulling her shoulder out of Zuko's reach. "What did I tell you about last time when you wanted a relationship?"

"You don't want one…" Zuko whispered.

"Well you learned that, now about you following me last night…" Ishtar frowned.

"Uh…sorry about that. It's just that I was worried," Zuko apologized.

"You didn't see anything did you?" Ishtar questioned, changing the subject.

"No! Nothing…" Zuko whispered, blushing.

"Aw…to bad for you huh?" Ishtar playfully harassed.

"That's one of those reasons why Zhao wanted you…" Zuko blurted.

Ishtar stopped walking and glared at Zuko. "Don't you ever say that again! I can't believe that you would say that after me asking you not to last night!" Ishtar shouted.

"Sorry…it just kind of came out," Zuko apologized.

"Don't do it again okay? I don't want to remember that…" Ishtar said as she crossed her arms.

"Sorry…"

Ishtar looked at him and pushed herself out into the vicinity that her friends were sleeping in. Zuko sat on the ground and stared at Royu. Royu groaned to wake everyone up and Ishtar patted his head.

"Okay we're up…" Ashley grinned as she rubbed her eyes and slapped Axe across the head.

"I'm up…I'm up," he grunted. "Ashley…were you the one that hit me?"

"Yeah…"

"You hit pretty hard…" he smiled as he rubbed his head.

Ishtar ignored them as she grabbed Royu's collar. "I haven't seen you in forever Royu!" she shouted. "How's my baby?" she asked.

Royu grinned and licked her face with his tongue. Ten-ten opened her eyes and walked to Iroh. She nudged him a bit and sat down next to him as he yawned.

Tamari was staring at the dirt. "I had a very uncomfortable dream last night…" Tamari whispered. "It had to do with you and Zhao…" she said as she stared at Ishtar.

Ishtar glanced at Zuko. He glanced to her and then they both stared at Tamari.

"I had a weird dream too…" Ashley groaned. "I can't remember it though…"

"I'd rather not repeat my dreams…" Ten-ten stuttered.

"Okay then…" Axe said. "I can't remember mine. So, no biggy!"

"Let's get moving!" Ishtar shouted, ending the silence.

"We didn't even have breakfast yet…" Axe argued.

"We'll eat later," Ishtar sighed as she pulled on Royu's mane. He stood and she jumped on. Ten-ten jumped in front of Ishtar as Zuko jumped on behind her. Iroh stretched and jumped on Royu behind Zuko. Tamari pulled herself on followed by Ashley and then Axe.

"Where are we going?" Ten-ten asked.

"Home…" Ishtar frowned.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the cave…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar opened all four elemental doors (like the one that Aang had to open at the Air Temple and the one at the Fire Temple) and stared in horror at the cave. She frowned at the fallen statues and jumped over to the remnants of her room. She pushed the doors open with earthbending as everyone ran into their own rooms to gather their possessions.

"Only get what you need!" Ishtar shouted through the walls. Zuko walked into Ishtar's room with Iroh at his heels. Ishtar found some clothes and stuffed them into her arms. She walked over to her bathroom and closed the door. She changed hastily and threw the clothes that Zhao gave her to the floor. The gloves were still around her wrists as a reminder of her pain.

Ishtar grabbed some of her few possessions and stuffed them into a small bag. "Iroh…?" she asked. "Could you go to the kitchen and pull out anything that isn't rotten or destroyed?"

Iroh nodded his head and left the room. Ishtar grabbed the picture of her mother and father as he left and shoved it into her pocket.

"Do you want some help?" Zuko asked.

"No…" Ishtar blandly stated. "Don't you have something in your room that you wish to salvage?"

"Just my broadswords…" Zuko said.

"You might want to go get them. We're just going to eat and then leave," Ishtar sighed as she grabbed her bag and walked out of her destroyed room. Zuko ran off as Ishtar sprinted into Ten-ten's room. Ishtar walked in slowly and found Ten-ten kneeling on her bed. She was crying softly, not wishing to disturb anyone. "Hey Ten-ten, are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah…just a bit worried," Ten-ten answered as she shoved things into the bag that she used a hundred times before.

"About what?" Ishtar asked, rubbing Ten-ten's back.

"My dream last night…" Ten-ten sobbed. "I think that Tamari had the same dream!"

"She could've," Ishtar said. "But, no matter what dreams tell you, most aren't real. They can warn you or tell you about something from the past, but that's only if you're spiritually connected like the Avatar or a kooky fortune teller…" Ishtar smiled.

"Or like you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ishtar answered. "Now hurry up and get packed. We're going to eat before we take off again."

"What if he catches us again?"

"I won't let him hurt you…"

"I'm not worried about me. What about you!?" Ten-ten questioned, shouting.

"I'll be fine. You don't have to worry about me. Worry about yourself. You're a little girl who doesn't need to grow up yet," Ishtar smiled, kissing Ten-ten's forehead. Ten-ten rubbed her eyes and continued to pack.

She stuffed the picture of her parents into her bag and smiled. "I'm ready," she said confidently.

"Good. Let's go check on the others," Ishtar smiled, picking up Ten-ten's bag.

They walked into Ashley's room and frowned. Ashley's room was barely touched. The soldiers had respected the flags that lined the room that were covered in her nations symbol. Ashley was done and staring up to the ceiling on her bed. A small bag was at her ankles. "What if we don't save the world?" Ashley asked to herself, not realizing that Ishtar and Ten-ten were in her room.

"Then we'll just keep trying," Ishtar whispered, scaring Ashley. "Come on…" Ishtar ordered. Ashley grabbed her bag and walked out of her room with Ishtar.

They walked into Axe's room that had been destroyed completely. He had apparently put up a fight because of all of the boulders that lined the room randomly. "Are you ready?" Ashley asked.

"Yeah…I guess so…" Axe stuttered.

"What's wrong?" Ashley asked, feeling a bit of compassion for her comrade.

"I'm an orphan now! It really never hit me until I saw this!" he shouted, pointing at a letter that his father had given him when he was young.

"If you haven't noticed, we're all orphans here. You're the only one complaining about it…" Ashley mumbled.

"Yeah, but I was never an orphan until Zhao told me."

"Get a hold of yourself Earthy…" Ashley joked, finally showing her sense of cockiness.

"Are you ready?" Ishtar asked, breaking up the argument.

"Yeah…" Axe tried to smile

Walking into Tamari's room they stood, shocked at how trashed her room was. Ishtar stopped the rest of her friends from entering. She walked in by herself. Tamari was rushing around, looking for her engagement necklace. "I don't know where it went!" Tamari shouted. "I had it on my bedpost and now it's not there! They trashed my room! Why my room?"

"You're a waterbender. Trust me…Axe's is trashed too," Ishtar sighed.

"Yeah but he fought back! I could hear him banging his rocks around! That's the only reason that I was awake to fight!" Tamari snapped.

"Mine's worse…" Ishtar sighed. "Go and see it after you get packed. It's awful…"

"I can believe that… Found it!!!" Tamari shouted, pulling the necklace out from behind her dresser. "How it got there, I will never know…"

Zuko stood behind Ten-ten, getting a clear view of how trashed Tamari's room was. Tamari was bending over her dresser and grabbing at something.

"Is that all?" Ishtar asked, staring at the bag that was almost bursting.

"Oh…yeah… That's my winter poncho. I can't help that it's big. I get cold kind of quick…" Tamari muttered.

"Okay… I don't much mind. I was just worried about Royu carrying to many things," Ishtar mumbled peacefully.

Iroh walked to the crowd of kids around Tamari's room. "Ishtar?" he questioned. Ishtar nodded and walked out of the room. He pulled her aside and started to speak. "There isn't very much food left but there is enough for a quick meal. But, there may not be that much…" Iroh frowned.

"Then they'll get my share…" Ishtar stated as she walked to the kitchen to prepare the meal. She opened the door and closed it. She stared at how destroyed it was. "Oh Avatar Roku…" she started. "Look at what they did to your cave…it's destroyed. All of it…"

She pulled out what was left of the food and cooked it with her bending. Oh how great it felt for her bending to be back. It was indescribable as she continued her work. The meal was prepared as she set it out in the executed dining room. She turned to the bell that she normally rang. It was on the ground twelve feet away. She picked it up and grinned. She placed it on the hook and grabbed the wooden stick. She hit the sides of the triangle and grinned.

Everybody stared at each other and licked their lips. They walked to the dining room and sat on the floor. Food was politely piled in front of them. Ishtar wasn't anywhere to be seen so Zuko walked out of the room. He rushed to the center of the kitchen and looked around. Ishtar was sitting in the window that was secretly looking out into the mountain.

"What are you doing here?" Ishtar asked, hugging herself.

"I just wanted to know why you weren't eating…?" Zuko asked, jumping on the windowsill to sit beside her.

"I'm not hungry," Ishtar lied as her stomach growled.

"Liar," Zuko grinned. "You need some food. Desperately."

"No, you guys need to eat. I'm not hungry. My stomach must've just did that purposely!" she lied again.

Zuko nudged her shoulder. She looked at him and smiled. Axe, Ten-ten, Ashley, and Tamari were staring at her.

"Lady Ishtar. You're the one who always saves us all in the end. We're lucky to have you. We want you to eat with us…" Ten-ten smiled.

"Uh…no," Ishtar answered smiling at them. "Please, I can't have hungry benders. That would be against Roku's teachings…"

"Fine. If you're not eating, then I'm not eating!" Ten-ten shouted.

"Please eat guys! I'm begging you!" Ishtar whispered. Everybody turned away with sadness in his or her eyes. They were going to eat for their leader and only because she asked them to. "What about you?" Ishtar asked Zuko.

"I can have my fill later," he smiled, reaching over her and grasping a yellow flower and placing it in her hair. He smiled, gave her a small kiss on her cheek, and then walked off to the dining room.

Ishtar rubbed her cheek and blushed. Her heart felt warmer but her mind said that she couldn't date or kiss him. Sorry Zuko…she whispered in her head. She looked out the window and smiled as the wind blew her hair to her side. She pulled the flower out of her hair and smelled it. She smiled and twirled it in her hand. She took a deep breath and then sighed.

Ten-ten ate quietly. She placed her chopsticks on the table and walked to the kitchen, her mind fuming with hateful thoughts.

"What's wrong?" Ishtar asked.

"Why didn't you eat?!" Ten-ten asked. "Lady Ishtar! If something jumps us, we might not make it…"

"You guy's will make it. I trained you all perfectly. I'll still be there," Ishtar smiled as she jumped from the windowsill and closed the window. It slid gently into the correct closed position and Ishtar frowned. The breeze disappeared and her hair sat behind her back.

Ishtar bent down and sat Ten-ten on the counter. "I don't want you to starve…" Ten-ten whispered. Ishtar smiled and rubbed Ten-ten's cheek. She picked Ten-ten up by the waist and carried her out of the kitchen and into the main hallway. They walked past the dining room door. Zuko made his way to stand as they went by but Iroh pushed him back into his seat.

"They know more about this than we do," Iroh whispered.

Zuko nodded his head and sat on his feet. He grabbed the chopsticks and finished off his small pile of rice.

Ishtar walked to the center of the main room that was the entrance to the cave. She bent down to the secret staircase that was now open and not so secret anymore. She placed her hand on the stairs and smiled. "You remember this don't you?" Ishtar asked.

Ten-ten nodded her head. The stairs weren't just normal stairs. They did lead to two different places, not just the one that Zhao had found. "Roku's secret passage…" Ten-ten whispered.

"We're going to go down…" Ishtar smiled as she placed Ten-ten on the ground and grabbed her hand. She led Ten-ten to the end of the stairs and frowned. The surreptitious door was jarred from its location. Ishtar walked into the trashed passage and closed her eyes when they stepped on the crumbled rocks.

"What did they do…?" Ten-ten asked, her voice echoing.

"They demolished it…" Ishtar whispered, letting go of Ten-ten's hand. She walked further, bending the rock back into the position that it came from. The rock moaned as it was placed back into place. She kept bending until she came to more statues. All of the Avatars lined the walls. Some had their faces chipped off or their arms dislocated. Ishtar kneeled down at the feet of Roku. Nothing was touched on the entire Fire Nation born Avatars. Ten-ten kneeled at Kyoshi.

Ishtar bent forward, her middle fingers touching each other as she bowed with her arms extended. Ten-ten did the same thing with Kyoshi. Ishtar leaned forward and grinned. Ten-ten stood up and grabbed Ishtar's shoulders. "Can you fix them?" she asked.

Ishtar nodded. She stood up and swirled the rocks around. Each rock went into its place. All of the statues looked happier and full as Ishtar leaned down for Ten-ten to jump on her back.

Ten-ten piggybacked up to the main cave and rested her head on Ishtar's shoulder. Ashley was waiting for her. "Lady Ishtar?" she asked. "Why didn't they demolish my room?"

"You're Fire Nation," Ten-ten piped up.

"I know that. They know that. Wouldn't my room be the most destroyed since I'm a traitor?" Ashley asked.

Ishtar placed Ten-ten on the ground. Ten-ten stared. "Go find Iroh," Ishtar ordered to Ten-ten. She ran off and disappeared in the shadows. "That is something that's between you and Roku. You need to ask him once. He'll listen. But, that's different of you to think about. They could have something planned for you. Maybe they were throwing you off your guard. Maybe you're throwing me off mine…I'm not sure, time will tell though," Ishtar smirked as she walked around Ashley.

Ashley smiled a bit. "I don't think that they have something planned for me. I'm not a traitor because I would be killed by some Fire Nation troops. I serve under you and you only…" Ashley frowned.

Ishtar bought her frown, noticing every weak point in her body, noting that her heartbeat wasn't rising. She nodded her head and smiled. "I understand that you're worried. But, there's no need to become suspicious," Ishtar said.

"What would you like Ishtar?" Iroh asked, walking toward her as Ashley walked away, still a bit confused but taking Ishtar's advice by asking Roku.

"There's a reason why Ashley's room isn't trashed…" Ishtar pondered. "Even Ten-ten's room is destroyed and she's the youngest. They didn't even know that she was an airbender."

"I wouldn't know the answer to that. Maybe she's a traitor…" Iroh said, thinking.

"That's what I thought. But, she wasn't lying to me when she said that she wasn't…" Ishtar whispered as they walked toward the dining room.

"I'll keep an eye on her…" Iroh muttered. Ishtar nodded her head and walked into the room briskly. "Does everybody have what they need?" Ishtar asked.

"Yeah…" they all answered.

"Then we're getting out of here," Ishtar sighed. She placed Ten-ten's bag on her shoulder and grabbed her own. Everybody stood up and walked to their bag. All grabbed them and walked out of the dining room, looking back one last time before their ultimate departure. Ishtar turned and smiled at the cave. She placed her arms out in front of her and pulled them hastily back toward herself. Every door closed and locked itself. Not ever going to be opened again.

Royu had his extra reins in his mouth. "Royu packed too!" Ten-ten giggled.

Ishtar placed Royu's reins over his head and into his mouth. He licked his lips a bit, straining to get used to the cold metal in his mouth. Ishtar patted his head and smiled. She turned to her team and jumped on his back, Bag sitting in her lap. Ten-ten jumped in front of Ishtar, lying back on her bag. Ishtar grasped the reins and smiled. Zuko jumped on Royu behind Ishtar. Tamari took her place behind Zuko as Axe jumped behind Zuko. Ashley waited for a minute and climbed on. Iroh sat behind Ashley, watching her every move.

Royu took off into the night air. Ishtar leaned in on Ten-ten and hugged her. Ten-ten felt safe and warm as they passed through a cool, wet cloud.

"Please don't do that again…" Axe shivered, not getting warm since he was an earthbender.

"Hold on crybaby…" Tamari smirked, turning her head around and bending off the freezing water.

"Thanks…" Axe shivered.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**This chapter was a little longer than expected. Hope that you liked it though! The next chapter gets interesting! I'll post the next chapter on Sunday.**

**R and R!**


	18. Yes I Mean, No

**I don't own Avatar the Last Airbender! R and R!!!!**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After an afternoon of traveling…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I'm beat…" Axe muttered a he collapsed to the ground.

"You didn't even do anything…" Ashley pouted.

"I sat on Royu's back for like…EVER!" Axe shouted.

"I need a shower…desperately…" Tamari sighed as she jumped off Royu and sat stretched out her arms. Axe looked at her and smiled. "You're not coming!" she shouted with a disgusted look on her face. Tamari walked into the forest that surrounded them, attempting to find some water.

"I'm going with her…" Ashley yawned.

"Me too…" Ten-ten said, finally waking up. "How about you Lady Ishtar?"

"I had a bath last night…" she stumbled.

Ten-ten ran after Ashley and Tamari. Zuko looked at Ishtar and frowned. "I'm gonna go find some firewood for you guys to light," Axe yawned.

"I'll go with you…" Iroh smiled. He nudged Zuko as he left. They disappeared into the bush, the opposite direction that the girls went.

"Why did he go?" Ishtar asked Zuko, nudging herself up to him.

Zuko blushed a bit. "Uh…he just wanted to go get firewood…" Zuko stuttered as he leaned forward a bit.

Ishtar nudged him, feeling a little tired from the all-afternoon trip. "You can kiss me now…" Ishtar smiled, feeling his heart beat faster.

"Really?" he asked. "You won't push me away?"

"Nope…" Ishtar giggled, pushing her face closer to him.

Ishtar leaned in, feeling the warmth of his skin. He moved the rest of the way, his lips slowly touching hers and staying there. Ishtar grabbed his face and pulled her own face away. "I thought…" Zuko stuttered.

"I can't do this…something isn't right…" Ishtar mumbled. "Every time…he's always there. His face…it's frightening…"

Zuko was confused at first. He leaned in and took her hands off of his face. He placed them in his own hands and smiled. Ishtar looked up at him, her head being only and inch shorter than his. Her gaze was eerie and mute. "I'm sorry…" Zuko smiled. "Maybe you like him more than you think…"

Ishtar starred at him, horrified. "No! EW! Never! He did bad things to me! I hate you for even saying that!" Ishtar shouted, pushing him to the ground and then storming off into the bush behind her.

Royu snorted his smoky breath on Zuko. "I didn't mean to make her angry…" Zuko sighed.

"Zuko…there is something about women that you really need to learn…" Iroh smiled as he walked into the clearing. "But first, what did Zhao do to her?"

"Uh…Kyoshi will kill me if I tell you…" Zuko said, looking up into the air.

"I'll deal with Kyoshi. Tell me now…" Iroh ordered.

"Ishtar would kill me…" he stuttered.

"I won't tell her that you told me…" Iroh smiled.

"He raped her!" Zuko uttered, holding his mouth after he blurted it. Iroh remained calm; he blinked a bit at first and then shook his head. He closed his eyes and thought.

"She must be so traumatized. Somebody has got to talk to her…" Iroh said.

"You can't tell her that I told you! She doesn't want anybody to know…" Zuko whispered. "That's why she has those gloves on…he tied her up. She has scratches all over her back and then there are some scars around her ankles…"

"Zuko, I can't let her continue her life when she doesn't have anybody to talk about that with…" Iroh sighed.

"Then tell me! She trusts me…not right now…because of what I said. Man I wish that I could take that back…" Zuko rolled off.

"Fine…" Iroh huffed, feeling that he wasn't going to get anywhere by asking her himself.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bath with Ten-ten, Ashley, and Tamari…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It feels so good to be back in water again! I could stay in her all night…" Tamari smirked.

"I don't know about staying in her for a long time…I don't think my body can stand being in a cold place for a long time…" Ashley said, taking off the last of her clothes and then jumping into the water.

"This is fun!" Ten-ten shouted, squishing water with airbending. Ashley and Tamari stared at Ten-ten and then laughed.

"You're so cute!" Ashley smiled, rubbing Ten-ten's head.

Ishtar pushed herself out of the bushes and smiled a lying smile. "I changed my mind…" Ishtar admitted. "We've been in the air all day. I think that taking a bath would be nice…" she said, walking away to the other side of the rocks.

"Why's she going over there?" Ashley asked.

Ten-ten shrugged her shoulders and started to push waves of water on Tamari. "Watch it!" Tamari shouted, giggling.

Zuko was walking toward Ishtar. He had started to follow her after his uncle had given him a small lecture. He pushed some bushes apart and a scream emerged in his face.

"Zuko! Get out of here!" Ashley ordered. "We're taking our baths!" Tamari pushed a wave of water over him, blocking whatever view he had. He shielded his face and ran to his right. Ishtar was on his right, she was undressing slowly. Her back was showing all of its scars, wrists bleeding and screaming for help. Her ankles molted closed with leftover blood fragments. Zuko looked for a while. Ishtar noticed and shoved her shirt over her half naked body again.

"Get a good look this time?!" Ishtar shot.

"Ishtar!" Ashley shouted. "Zuko's coming over to see you!" she wooed.

"Thanks for the late warning Ashley!" Ishtar shouted back.

"Err…I'm sorry about the whole Zhao thing…" Zuko whispered.

Ishtar glared at him. "And you came to see me when I was going to take my bath huh?" she asked, confused.

"I didn't know that you were coming to take a bath," he smiled.

"You want to join me don't you?" she asked.

"Yes…I mean…no!" Zuko shouted.

Giggles erupted from the other side of the rocks as the girls were listening intently. The giggles stopped and then a splashing sound was erupted followed by a wall of screams.

Ishtar forced her shirt over her body and ran to the girls. "Are you okay?" she asked, huffing and puffing with worry.

"Yeah!" Ten-ten giggled. "Tamari just froze some water and placed it on Ashley's back…" she continued.

"I'm so going to kill you for that!" Ashley shouted, dunking Tamari under the water playfully.

Ishtar rolled her eyes and walked to the other side of the rocks, where her clothes were. "Here…" Ishtar smiled, kissing Zuko on the cheek. "I accept you apology. Just, not again…that's the last warning…" she grinned as her hand rubbed the back of his neck. She pulled on her pants and tightened her shirt. She grabbed Zuko's hand and led him back into the clearing.

She sat down staring at Zuko for the rest of the evening until everybody fell asleep. She tapped him on the shoulder and grabbed his hand. She led him back to the lake and started to pull off her clothes. "What are you doing?" Zuko asked.

"We are going swimming. Just pull off your clothes. Not all of them though…I'm only stripping to my undergarments," Ishtar smiled, pulling his face forward and giving him a light kiss. He started to strip. Ishtar walked into the water and smiled as she swam to the other side of the lake. "Are you coming?" she asked, whispering.

"I'm coming…give me a second…" Zuko whispered, pulling off his pants and walking into the water. He swam hastily to Ishtar and smiled. She smiled back as he pulled her towards himself. She giggled a bit and it made Zuko smile more as he kissed her cheek.

She pulled him closer. "This isn't the only reason why I brought you here…" Ishtar whispered grabbing him and forcing him under the water. She followed and grabbed his hand, pulling him to the bottom. Ishtar held a ball of air in her other arm. She held it up to Zuko so he could take a deep breath.

She pushed him toward the rocks at the bottom and lit up her hand with a white flame. Zuko's eyes became bigger as he stared at the flame. "Ufthderfater?" he gurgled.

Ishtar stuffed the ball of air up to his mouth again. He took in another deep breath and looked at where the light was glowing. He swam to the surface, Ishtar followed, a bit shocked at his reaction to the rocks.

"Was that a grave?" Zuko asked, spitting water out of his mouth.

"Yeah. Did you see what was on the grave?" Ishtar asked.

"No…" Zuko admitted. "How did you light up your hand with white flames?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Dragonbending! Come on!" she ordered, grabbing his hand as she swam under again. He followed and looked deeply at the engraving. Roku's name was engraved on the stone. She nudged his hand and pulled him up to the surface.

"Was that Roku's grave?" Zuko asked.

"Yeah," Ishtar smiled. "I used to come here all of the time when I was little…come on, follow me. There's a cavern underneath…" she smiled as she pushed herself underwater.

Zuko held his breath and followed. He squinted at the light and found Ishtar again. She looked back and grasped his hand. She pulled him straighter and forced him up to the surface. His head came out in a hurry. He smiled as Ishtar pulled herself out of the water, onto a pile of rocks. She closed the hand that contained the flame. Everything became dark and damper as Ishtar breathed in a deep breath. She combined her fingertips and smiled as the green, moldy candles combusted into flames.

Zuko pulled himself out of the water and sat next to Ishtar. "What is this place exactly?" Zuko asked, his curiosity taking the better of him.

Ishtar smiled. "This is the cave that Roku carved to spend his anole time with his children. If you wait for a while, my mother said that he would appear," Ishtar said. "His eyes light up when the moonlight hits them."

"What are we going to do in the meantime?" Zuko asked, pulling himself to Ishtar a bit.

"I'm doing anything with you right now…this a sacred area, built by my great grandfather…" Ishtar giggled.

"So, are those moon charts?" Zuko asked, pointing up to the ceiling.

"Yeah, the next new moon is tomorrow sadly…" Ishtar moaned as she placed her hand on his leg and rubbed it, causing it to become warm.

Zuko started to lean his head on her. She smiled and kissed his forehead. He started to kiss her neck, pushing his face closer to her lips.

The eyes of Roku started to glow. "So is this why you have scratches all over your back? Kyoshi told me a different story…" Roku sighed.

"Avatar Roku!" Ishtar shouted, pulling herself away from Zuko's mouth. "I was wondering when you'd find out about that…"

"Why are you here?" Roku asked seriously. "Why did you bring an outsider?"

"I wanted you to see Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation," Ishtar said, bowing. Her middle fingertips closed on themselves and she stared at the floor.

"So, this is the one that you have fallen for then?" Roku asked.

Ishtar blushed. She slowly nodded her head up and down and she looked back up at Roku's face. Zuko felt speechless. He opened his mouth and then closed it. Roku chuckled a bit and smiled.

"What's going on here?" Zuko asked.

Roku bent down to inspect Zuko. "You're the one that Ozai marked then…you have a strong heart for trying to maintain my granddaughter," Roku frowned.

"I want to maintain your granddaughter but she won't let me get anywhere near her…" Zuko admitted. Ishtar turned to him and beamed. "I think that it has something to do with Zhao!"

Ishtar covered his mouth with her hand and shushed him. "Don't make him go into a lecture…" Ishtar warned.

Roku chuckled louder. "You can have her…I give you my permission for her hand since she hasn't a father anymore to say that for her," Roku smirked.

"Hold on…what?! I'm not asking for her hand!" Zuko shouted.

"I want Ishtar to have a safe home…can you provide her with that?" Roku asked, ignoring the exclamation. "I don't mind when you marry, but please come here and tell me so that I can rejoice," Roku continued.

"I'm not asking for her hand! She just brought me here!" Zuko shouted.

"Grandfather…I'm only here to pay my respects. I don't wish to get married in the chaos of war. Not with the Prince until everything is settled. Besides, I'm a little young," Ishtar giggled, moving her hand on Zuko's hand. Zuko removed his hand from under hers and smiled.

"Is this all you wanted?" Roku asked, folding his arms under his chest. "There are things in the spirit world that need to be corrected. By the way, you aren't young. There are people getting married at fourteen and you're both seventeen… Is that all?" he repeated.

"Uh…I actually wanted to know where the Avatar was. Zuko needs to teach him firebending and Ten-ten needs to learn a deeper knowledge of airbending. I can't teach her all of that since I wasn't taught by the monks…" Ishtar explained.

"Aang is at the Odeon Clan. You should know where that is. He is going to stay there for some time. I expect that you walk instead of taking Royu," Roku explained.

"Okay…" Ishtar sighed as he disappeared. "We have to get out of here…" Ishtar smiled, pulling Zuko's hand. She pulled him to the water and dunked herself. She was still clinging on Zuko's hand and she pulled him to the surface. "Did you like meeting Roku?" she asked, pulling in a deep breath of air.

"He reminded me of my uncle…" Zuko laughed. Zuko swam with Ishtar to the shore and smiled as he pulled her out of the water. "Where is this Odeon place?" he asked.

"Just north of here. We're going to have to walk hastily through the forest in order to bypass the black scouts…" Ishtar frowned. "I can't believe that he wants us to walk…"

Ishtar bended the water out of her hair and smiled as she saw Zuko steaming the water off of himself. They placed their clothes back on their backs and started to walk back to the camp. Ishtar had held Zuko's hand. They dislodged their hands as they walked into the camp. Zuko sat on the ground, next to Ishtar as she placed her hand in his hair, ruffling it. He smiled and grabbed her hand. He kissed her cheek and smiled as she blushed.

"So, you're awake!" Ashley shouted as she bolted her body off of the ground. "Where are we heading to?" she asked.

"The Odeon Clan," Zuko answered.

"Isn't that the mafia clan?" Axe asked.

"Yes," Ishtar answered, annoyed.

"Then why are we going?" Tamari asked.

"Wouldn't it be very dangerous?" Ten-ten questioned.

"We're going because the Avatar is there. It will be dangerous but we can take care of ourselves. We're going to have to walk though… We'll wait until Iroh wakes to start," Ishtar sighed.

Iroh sat there for another hour. "Something isn't right…" Zuko whispered worriedly as he crawled over to his uncle.

Ishtar placed her hand on his forehead. She felt around. For a test, she grasped Zuko's forehead. The temperature difference was completely different.

"Why did you feel my forehead?" Zuko asked.

"I'm not sure what a firebenders' temperature is supposed to be. You're not still sleeping on the ground, and you're closer so I just placed my hand on your head to see the difference…" Ishtar mumbled, grabbing Royu and whispering something in his ear. "I need you to carry Iroh for us. Get him on your back but make him comfortable that he can continued his rest," Ishtar ordered.

Royu snuggled Iroh on his back and stood there, waiting for more of Ishtar's orders. "Where are we going?" Axe asked.

"Were you asleep the entire time that Ishtar was telling us?" Tamari argued.

"Come on Royu…" Ishtar ordered, pulling on his reins. He stomped his feet on the ground and followed Ishtar without the need of his reins. Zuko jumped and sprinted to Ishtar.

"Is he okay?" Zuko asked.

"I think that it's just a flu. If he stays still and feels Royu's body heat, he should be fine…" Ishtar whispered as Ten-ten jumped on her back. Ishtar carried Ten-ten on her back all afternoon until she knew that the Odeon Clan was close. "Don't drop your guard, none of you…" Ishtar ordered.

Ten-ten jumped off of Ishtar's back and listened to the every movement of the forest. Ishtar heard a crackle of the trees and she tensed up. Zuko heard the crack and he felt Ishtar's tenseness. He nodded his head and Iroh opened his eyes.

"Where am I?" he asked, yawning.

"Iroh, you're riding on Royu. Lady Ishtar says that you have the flu…" Ten-ten whispered.

An engulfment of shuriken erupted from the bushes. Ishtar pulled out her senbon needles and hit all of the shuriken. They collided to the ground as a curved knife on a chain flew toward Zuko. Ishtar grasped the knives' handle and placed the point into the chain loop. She pulled the knife toward herself as the person who flung the object collided to the ground. The kid was wearing black completely, her face was engulfed but her eyes were visible.

The kid threw herself off of the ground and pulled out and arrangement of letter bombs. She threw the weapons at Ishtar and Ishtar ducked, forcing the bombs to collide into a tree. The tree base exploded and Zuko cringed. There was a second person in the forest watching them and Zuko was waiting for him or her to make his attack. He waited until finally Ishtar had the girl in a headlock.

Ishtar had the girl tied up with her own chains that were connected to her weapon. Ishtar looked into the enemies' eyes. "Kiki?" Ishtar asked.

"How do you know my name?!" Kiki asked as she struggled in the chains. "You do look like somebody I know though…"

"Lady Odeon, Ishtar. We used to friends…" Ishtar smiled.

"You're part of the mob?!" Axe asked, shouting.

"Lady Ishtar?" a voice from the bushes asked as he walked out.

"Kish? Is that you?" Ishtar asked as she untied Kiki.

"Yeah!" Kish shouted. "Your grandfather is so worried! He hasn't seen you in five years! He though that you were killed with your mother and father!"

"No…I got away…" Ishtar answered as she hugged Kish. Kiki smirked.

"You got away?" she asked, tearing off her mask to reveal a calm, unemotional face. "Nobody in your entire village got away. Not even Lady Korma."

"Shut up Kiki!" Kish ordered. "You should be bowing to your leader," he smirked as he bowed.

"No, guys, please stand…I'm not that kind of kid anymore…" Ishtar smiled. Kish rose and grinned.

"Do you want to see your grandfather and grandmother?" Kish asked courteously.

"First, could we find a doctor for my friend?" Ishtar asked. Kiki nodded and grabbed Royu's reins. She walked toward the entrance of the Clan and stopped short. Zuko was following her, worried about his uncle.

"What about the rest of them?" she asked rudely.

"Could you find a place for them to sleep the night?" Ishtar asked. Kiki nodded her head and grabbed Ten-ten's hand. "She," Ishtar said, grabbing Ten-ten's hand, "stays with me…" Kiki let go and forced the rest of the people into the village.

"Your grandfather will be so pleased to have you back!" Kish shouted.

"You've never told me your last name before…" Ten-ten frowned as they walked. "Was it that secret?"

"Yes. My Clan is very famous…" Ishtar grinned. "And not for the most polite reasons…" Kish smiled. He walked in front of Ishtar and opened the door to her grandfather's mansion. Ishtar walked in as Ten-ten gapped. "Welcome to my grandfathers house…" Ishtar smiled.

A few servants stopped in front of Ishtar and stared. They hadn't seen her in five years. Her body had changed dramatically and her facial features were almost the same. "Here…maybe you should go in without the kid first…" Kish said as he grabbed Ten-ten's hand.

Ishtar nodded her head as she patted Ten-ten's head. Ishtar opened the door quietly and stepped in. Her feet landed on the soft floor as she walked.

"What do you want now Aang?" an old man asked, noting that the footsteps were that of an airbender.

"Grandfather?" Ishtar asked sweetly.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**I hope that you liked this chapter! I would appreciate like…two reviews.**


	19. FIGHT

**I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender!**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"It can't be…" he stuttered as he turned his chair around to reveal Ishtar's smiling face. "Ishtar! My sweet geisha Ishtar! Where have you been these past few years! After what happened to Orkaru and Korma I thought that you were dead too but I never got any official word! I even thought that maybe you forgot about me if you were still alive!" he shouted, running up and hugging her.

"Grandfather…" Ishtar smiled. "I've been training and getting ready to see the Avatar when he finally returned. I would never ever forget my grandparents…"

"Well, you're in luck! The Avatar is here! He's in my mansion and he's supposed to be meeting me in a few minutes… What has happened to you? Why are you wearing gloves? Gloves aren't for my Clan members…" he stuttered.

"Oh, those! I just got a scratch and I didn't want it to get infected…so I put a glove over it…I have my friends here and I found an airbender that I wish to show you…" Ishtar smiled as she walked to the door and opened it. She waved her hand and motioned for Ten-ten to walk in.

Ten-ten stepped into the room cautiously. The man beamed at her. "So this is the cute little airbender?" he asked.

"Yes grandfather. I was wondering if the Avatar could train her better than I would since I wasn't taught by the monks, only my mother. I wanted to ask him for his help…" Ishtar smirked.

"That would be fine! I'm just happy to see my granddaughter back in my home!" he shouted.

There was a knock on the door as he walked to his desk. "May we come in?" a small voice asked from behind the door.

"Yes of course Aang!" her grandfather shouted with pure joy. The door opened as a boy with an arrow on his head entered with two girls and a boy. "Aang, meet Ishtar. Ishtar, I know that you know Aang…" he beamed. "These are his friends Katara, Toph, and Sokka!" he smiled as he pointed.

"How would she know me?" Aang asked.

"I'm the Semi-Avatar…Roku has told me all about you…" Ishtar grinned as she held out her hand. Aang took it and shook.

"There's a Semi-Avatar?" he asked, confused.

"Not normally. But the spirits became impatient and I was chosen because I'm Roku's great-great granddaughter. On the other side of my family of course…" she smiled. "Uh…this is Ten-ten…I want you to teach her aribending…" Ishtar smiled.

"Airbending isn't something that you joke around about!" the girl named Katara shouted. "Aang is the last known airbender!"

"No, he's not…you're a Water Tribe girl right?" Ishtar asked, noting the sense of politeness that she and Tamari shared.

"What's your point?" she asked.

"There are some airbenders out there. There is an entire village of them. Unfortunately, the village was destroyed and that's when I met Ten-ten. She's the last pure airbender. Nothing else is in her. She has only the airbending abilities and nothing else," Ishtar sighed as she explained.

"I didn't know that…" Toph smiled.

"Not most people do. The Fire Nation doesn't know either. We're the only people in the world that care anymore…" Ishtar's grandfather explained.

"Can you teach me?" Ten-ten asked.

"Why can't she teach you?" Toph asked, pointing to Ishtar.

"I don't want her to learn the way I did. I didn't learn from the monks. I learned from my mother. She was a Semi too. All of the first born females on my mothers side were," Ishtar sighed.

"How were you taught?" Aang asked.

"I don't want to talk about that…" Ishtar frowned. "Will you teach her?"

"Yeah!" Aang shouted. "I would do anything to get the airbending population back!"

"That's great!" Grandfather shouted. "Now, I want to catch up with Ishtar! I haven't seen her in five years!"

"Ten-ten, go find Zuko," she smiled. Ten-ten ran out of the room.

"Did you just say Zuko?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Um…he wouldn't happen to be Prince of the Fire Nation would he?" Katara asked.

"Yes he is…he's here to teach Aang to firebend," Ishtar sighed.

"What!? Who told you this?" Aang asked.

"Roku did. Kyoshi did and I'm pretty sure that somebody else did…" Ishtar smiled. "I have a person from every bending Nation here with me. I have Iroh, Zuko and Ashley of the Fire Nation. Tamari of the Water Tribe, Axe of the Earth Kingdom and Ten-ten of the Air Nomads," Ishtar whispered.

"You have a person…of every Nation…just like the Avatar?" Toph asked.

"Yes, but I teach them. They don't teach me," Ishtar smiled.

"You wanted me Ishtar?" Zuko asked as he walked into the door with Ten-ten at his ankles. "YOU!" he shouted as he pointed at Aang.

"Let it go Zuko! You were there when Roku told us about you teaching Aang…how's Iroh?" Ishtar asked.

"They just said that he had the flu… They said that he has to wait it out. It could take a long time because he's older…" Zuko spat, leering at Aang.

"Good to know. Are you going to teach Aang?" Katara asked.

"Of course he will!" Ten-ten yelled as she threw her hands around his waist and gave him a hug. Ten-ten smiled and Zuko peeled her arms off of his waist. "Sorry Zuko. You just looked so down!" Ten-ten giggled.

"I'm going to go check on Iroh…I'll see you guys later…" Ishtar smiled as she walked slowly out of the door. Ten-ten and Grandfather followed her to escape the oncoming fight.

"I would've never guessed that Zuko could hold a big temper like that…" Ten-ten giggled.

"What is with the kid anyway…?" Grandfather asked.

"Grandfather…" Ishtar started. Her Grandfather got the hint. Ten-ten smiled and then grinned. She walked into the hospital ward and sat down next to Iroh's bed. Grandfather and Ten-ten had been standing outside as Ishtar bent over Iroh. "Iroh? Are you feeling any better?" Ishtar asked.

Iroh opened his eyes a bit and grinned. "It feels great to be on a bed again!" he exclaimed loudly. "But, the medicine that the nurse gave me tasted awful…blech!" he bellowed. Ishtar laughed a tad.

"It's nice to know that you feel a little bit better," Ishtar said. "I hope that you don't mind staying here for the rest of your recovery?"

"Of course not! The nurses are gorgeous!" he smiled.

"It's nice to know that you feel comfortable…" Ishtar whispered as she walked to the door and walked out. She shut the door and stared at her grandfather playing patty-cake with Ten-ten. She giggled and strolled to the two. "Having fun?" she asked.

"Your grandfather is the best!" Ten-ten screamed with tears of laughter. She walked away, laughing and crying. Kish appeared out of the shadows and walked with her to her room that was prepared on Grandfather's orders.

"What do you want to talk about?" Ishtar questioned, her voice becoming serious.

"How did you get away?"

"I was twelve. Mom hid me. When they came, I was in the closet. When they burned down the house, I used firebending to stay alive. When I walked out, I was in a daze. I walked for a bit and ran into an old man. It was Iroh. I knew that he was a Fire Nation general because of his clothes so I backed off a tad. He looked worried and friendly but I ran away. That's all I can remember…" Ishtar frowned, feeling her body freeze at the mention of her house burning down.

"Sorry," Grandfather apologized, noticing her comfort level sore to the bottom.

"It's okay. I just haven't thought about it in a while. It's kind of painful…" Ishtar whispered as she stared off into the distance. Her mind jogged back to her grandfather and Kiki as her feet pounded on the floor toward them.

"I've had it Ishtar!" Kiki shouted. "I challenge you!" She stopped her running and glared at Ishtar in her light red outfit. Her periwinkle eyes gleamed with hope and respect.

Ishtar stood there for a moment. "Okay, when?"

"Tomorrow! The whole Clan is going to watch! Be at the arena at sunset!" she shouted, clearly annoyed. "And I want you to actually fight me this time! No mind games like last time!" She ran off, bowing to Ishtar's grandfather as she turned.

"I hate it when she does this…every time I come, she always wants to fight. She can train for years and she'll never surpass me!" Ishtar muttered for her grandfather to hear.

"Just fight her and get it over with," Grandfather suggested. "No matter how many she loses, she'll always be your friend in the end. You always become friends later during the day after the fight takes place. She'll have her fight and then she'll return to normal," Grandfather smiled as he guided her to her room. "Here is your room. I hope that you like it; you can come for supper in an hour. Walk around, enjoy the sun, talk to your friends, but just come for supper."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next day at sunset…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar pulled on a red shirt on that only covered her breasts. The shirt ended at her bellybutton. She pulled on a pair of black leggings and walked out of the room with her hair tied back. She had her gloves over her wrists but she knew that her grandfather would never let her keep them on during the fight. She held her senbon needles in her hands. Her bare feet hit the wood with no sound as she walked proudly. There was nobody in the halls because at every battle between her and Kiki, everybody came to watch and cheer.

Ishtar knew that this battle was going to be different than all of the last ones. Kiki had matured to a black scout. Her grandfather only trusted the best to guard the Clan against enemies.

Ishtar walked out into the crowd. They moved to the side neatly in order for Ishtar to pass. Her teammates were in the front, next to the Avatar and his friends. Zuko and Iroh were talking with Ashley. They were apparently judging on how much this would resemble an Agni Kia. Ishtar walked past them. She walked briskly up to a log in the end of a pond.

Her grandfather came up and inspected her. "You know that you're not aloud to wear gloves…" he scolded. She frowned and started to take off her gloves. Her team watched and gasped. The cuts were deeper than just her scraping into a piece of metal on Zhao's ship. "What on earth happened?" Grandfather asked, grasping her wrists.

"I'll explain later…" she whispered, not wanting to draw attention to herself.

"Your ankles too?" he asked, his eyes peeking down. Ishtar nodded her head. Grandfather turned his head and stared at Kiki. She was already balanced on a log, glaring at Ishtar's wrists. "No bending is aloud in these battles. You both know the rules, but we have newcomers here so let me explain…" Grandfather shouted, pointing at the Avatar and the group next to him. "1.) No bending is aloud. 2.) You can only use the weapons that you came with or your opponents' weapons. 3.) You can't kill each other in the battle," he frowned.

Ishtar and Kiki nodded without words. Ishtar lunged on a log and gained her balance.

"What is happening?" Aang asked. "I don't see any fighting…"

"Yeah…this entire thing is confusing," Sokka frowned, trying to picture them battling on logs over forty feet away. "I don't understand how they could even kill each other…"

Kish moved up to the front next to Sokka and Iroh who had feebly come out of bed to see Ishtar battle. "It's kind of hard to understand at first, but…the training that we get is very extensive…you'll understand in a bit, even though they're not aloud to bend."

"Ready?" Kiki asked.

"When you are…" Ishtar smirked, holding up a senbon needle as Kiki withdrew her swords. "Ready, steady," Ishtar whispered, "GO!" she shouted, running on the water.

Kiki jumped on the water and ran to Ishtar. They collided into each other and stood there, standing on the water, their weapons grinding into each other. Ishtar's thin senbon needle was strong as she held her thumb to the tip to force weight on it. Kiki grinned as she ground her sword deeper into her attack.

"Are they…?" Sokka asked.

"Yep. That's part of our training as children. Everybody can do it even when you can't bend. You just have to use your energy chakra in specific patterns and waves against the water," Kish whispered in between his yells of confidence.

"Fight me! Stop defending yourself. Make a move!" Kiki screamed in Ishtar's face.

"Fine!" Ishtar shouted as she forced Kiki back into the water. Kiki was off her balance a bit and then she jumped back into her battle again. Her swords were thrown into the water as Ishtar pushed her body out of the way. Knowing that her swords would be a hassle, she threw them to the side and pulled out her kunai knives. She threw three knives at Ishtar.

Ishtar caught the first knife and blocked the second one. She threw the knife in her hand and it collided with the third kunai. Kiki pulled out more knives and shuriken. "You got lucky!" she shouted as she charged for Ishtar.

Ishtar rolled her eyes and grinned. She caught Kiki by her waist and pulled her down. Kiki struggled to stand again so she forced her kunai knife into Ishtar's leg. Ishtar's eyes became small as she forced the pain away. She stabbed Kiki with the senbon in her hand and she threw her off to the water.

Ishtar pulled the kunai knife out of her leg. She held it in her hand and smiled. "You finally got me…looks like you trained for these past five years…" Ishtar said smugly. Kiki smiled and threw her knives. Ishtar ducked and then she felt something behind her. Her eyes flew back and she held her breath. Her body forced itself under the water.

"Yeah! I have been training," Kiki smirked as she held her own breath. She went under the water and swam toward the bubbles.

"Is that aloud?!" Ashley asked, curious.

"Of course it is…" Kish whispered as he looked deeper into the water. He found their bodies intertwined with each other.

Kiki was punching Ishtar. Ishtar defended herself, throwing her arms in front of her body to protect herself. Ishtar finally made her move. She punched Kiki in the nose. Kiki wanted to take a deep breath in but she was surrounded by water. She pushed her arms up and surfaced, taking a deep breath in. Ishtar smiled and pulled her leg down surprisingly.

Kiki hadn't taken in a deep breath as Ishtar punched her face again. Her mouth flew open and her nose was now bleeding. Both Ishtar and Kiki rose to the surface. Kiki's nose was bleeding profusely. Her blood disappeared as it glided into the water.

"What's wrong?" Ishtar asked. "Isn't water your strongpoint waterbender?"

Kiki grinned and pushed herself out of the water. Ishtar followed and ran toward her, senbon in hand. Kiki grasped a kunai in her hand. She pounced on Ishtar, her kunai going straight for her heart. Ishtar smiled and blocked her attack. She pulled up her fist and punched Kiki into the water. Her head went deep into the depths of the pond as Ishtar pulled the wet hair out of her face. She waited on the water, staring down with her weapon in her hands.

When Kiki didn't rise to the surface, she became worried. "Ishtar! She's not coming back up!" Kish shouted.

"KIKI!" Ishtar screamed as she dove. She held her breath and swam, her hair whipping around in the water. She swam for a minute and then noticed a figure on the bottom of the pond.

"How deep is this pond!?" Katara asked.

"About thirty feet deep…" Kish said. "We used to race to the bottom when we were little…"

Ishtar picked up Kiki's body and swam to the surface. She knew that the match was over until Kiki turned around and punched her. Ishtar couldn't breathe. Her breath had escaped her body and she began to swim to the surface with Kiki at her heels, grabbing at her. Ishtar jumped out of the water and Kiki jumped next to her, pulling her kunai knife out. Ishtar moved her arms to her leg where her senbon needles were. The bag wasn't there as Kiki smiled, holding her weapon bag in her left hand, kunai in the right. Ishtar grasped the kunai knife in Kiki's hand and pushed her force against her. The knife crashed into the newly formed waves of the pond.

"You cheated…" Ishtar spat.

"You disappeared!" Kiki spat back.

At the same time both of their right fists attempted to punch each other. The left fist of each person grabbed the fist of the competitor. Ishtar pushed forward as Kiki pushed forward. Ishtar let go of Kiki's fist and poked her in the forehead. Kiki looked annoyed and growled. She threw her fist forward and smiled as Ishtar moved out of the way. Kiki looked around, nobody was around. She looked beneath her and felt a horrified wave rush through her body.

Ishtar was smiling in the water. Her fist came through the surface and punched Kiki in the jaw. Kiki spat out blood and forced her body back up. Kiki sprinted over to Ishtar and started to punch her in the gut. Ishtar bent forward in pain and then shoved her leg into Kiki's mouth. Kiki spat out more blood into the water and then she attacked Ishtar again. Her elbow was punched up into Ishtar's mouth. Ishtar bit down and thrust her hand up into Kiki's jaw. Kiki staggered back a bit, she rubbed her nose to pull off the blood.

Ishtar moved her hands. She prepared herself for the next attack but Kiki had already made her move. Kiki fired a kunai knife at Iroh. Ishtar took a deep breath and sprinted to catch the knife. Her fingertips closed around the handle and she pulled on it.

"What are you doing?!" Ishtar shouted as she threw the knife to the water.

"Lost my footing I guess…" Kiki smirked.

Ishtar was breathing heavily, her heart pumping quickly from fear that Iroh could've gotten hurt. Kiki frowned. She started to sprint toward the almost exhausted Ishtar and then fired her knife at her. Ishtar caught it and shoved it into Kiki. Her face was emotionless as Ishtar withdrew the knife she pushed it to the water. Kiki pushed on Ishtar's body.

"I think that this is the most damage that we've ever done to each other…" Ishtar whispered.

"You're right…" Kiki sputtered.

Kiki pulled a kunai out of her bag and stuck Ishtar's senbon bag on her leg. Ishtar sprinted for her bag, water spewing across the sides of her legs as she ran. Kiki ducked into the water again. Ishtar jumped into the water while holding her breath.

"This has got to be the most intense fighting that I've ever seen!" Sokka shouted. "What do you teach the kids here!?"

"How to kill…" Grandfather whispered.

"This place actually does that?" Iroh asked.

"Yes. Kiki is a killing machine…Ishtar is worse but she refuses to kill at all, claiming that it is wrong to take a life…" Grandfather muttered.

"Well it should be! She shouldn't be killing and neither should Kiki!" Aang screamed.

"They're really fighting down there…" Toph said. She felt the vibrations of the girls' punches and kicks.

Ishtar punched Kiki again and again, the water weighing down on her. Kiki was defending herself with her hands. She spat blood out of her mouth and screeched. Ishtar stopped punching and held her ears. The water vibrations had made the screech louder and louder. Ishtar pushed herself up to the surface, her lungs gasping for air. Kiki followed, her grin widening.

Ishtar rose on the water, her hands layered with a mix of blood and water. She stood on the water and pulled out a senbon needle of her newly acquired bag. "I should've done this a long time ago…" Ishtar smirked as she pulled a gasping Kiki from the water.

She dropped her on the water. "What?" Kiki asked as she spat out a mouthful of blood and pond water.

Ishtar placed her right palm on the water. Her left palm soared into the air. "What is she…?" Axe asked.

"The Triagrams! You taught her the triagrams!?" Kish shouted. "Kiki'll die! That move will kill Kiki completely from the inside out!"

"What?!" Ten-ten asked. "Lady Ishtar would never kill anybody!"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Thanks for the reviews but I won't update until I get like…two reviews…I don't care if they're flames because I respect your opinion!**


	20. The Talk

**My Gran-Gran was diagnosed with cancer. I don't own Avatar because I would've already air the third season.**

**Have fun reading and remember to review…**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**"What?!" Ten-ten asked. "Lady Ishtar would never kill anybody!"**

"She wouldn't kill Kiki…the move would kill her and the attacker…" Grandfather smiled.

"Aren't you going to stop it?!" Zuko asked.

"Nope."

"But the move is against the rules!" Kish nervously shouted.

"Ishtar isn't going to kill her."

"This move will kill both of us…" Ishtar smiled.

Kiki stood on the water, her heart pounding quickly. She breathed in deeply, preparing herself for the attack and Ishtar herself. She forced a kunai in her mouth and breathed. Ishtar stood still, waiting for her opening. Kiki pulled out another kunai and stuffed it into her hand. She held her breath as Ishtar moved her hands around. "Four triagrams eight palms!" Ishtar shouted as she sprinted to Kiki in the water. She hit Kiki directly into her node points that would crush her entire system. "Eight triagrams sixteen palms!" Ishtar shouted, forcing the attack on Kiki again with a grater force. "Sixteen triagrams thirty-two palms!" Ishtar shouted with a push. She forced her fingers into Kiki again and again, killing her energy points.

Kiki threw up blood. "Why…?" she asked.

Ishtar gave her a dirty look. "I didn't kill you. I don't kill. I stand by that reason. You haven't sustained any nerve damage though, surprisingly. I won't kill you. You should've learned your lesson the first time that we fought. You were never ever going to beat me at all…you knew that…I knew that," Ishtar whispered as she frowned at the sinking girl below her. "I've got you…" she smiled as she grasped her friend by the calves and by the neck. Kiki smiled, her body now bursting with energy.

"I bluffed…" Kiki smirked as she threw Ishtar to the water with a splash. Kiki washed the blood off of her mouth and grinned. "Do you think that I would really feel affected by that move?" she asked as she pulled Ishtar up to the surface by her hair. "You look pretty thin…"

Ishtar chocked up blood and grinned. She started to crush Kiki's hand with her own and frowned. Kiki threw her to the water and shouted.

"What's wrong…?" Ishtar asked as she spat out more blood. "You're hand crushed?" she asked with a smile on her bloody face.

Kiki stomped on the water, as she pulled out another kunai and shuriken. She flung the shuriken to Ishtar and screamed. Ishtar caught the shuriken in her hand and grinned. Kiki threw the kunai and Ishtar felt it puncture her skin. Ishtar stood up in pain, her arm limply grabbing at her side. She let her arm hang loosely and smiled. "What?!" Kiki asked as she pulled out another knife.

Ishtar sprinted from side to side, maneuvering her body away from the incoming kunai. She started to sprint toward Kiki, hand out in front of her. Kiki noticed and pushed her own hand out in front of her face as she sprinted. "You're gonna kill yourself!" Ishtar shouted.

"Am not!" Kiki cried out as she sprinted through the water. Ishtar and Kiki both hit each other in the face, their mouths pushed to the side as an engulfment of screams erupted from the crowd. Ishtar and Kiki both were thrown to the side, their bodies bleeding and sinking into the water.

Grandfather jumped onto the water and grabbed Ishtar as Kish grasped Kiki. Both were lain out of the pond, their bodies unconscious and bleeding.

"I knew Ishtar was strong…but _that_ strong!" Iroh whispered.

"I guess that she's pretty strong…" Tamari smiled.

Kiki stood up, waking from her unconsciousness. Her body was weaker than it had ever been. Ishtar opened her eyes and smiled as she rose.

"Who won?" Kiki asked.

"It was a tie…" Grandfather said, frowning. "I've never seen such a combination of teamwork and rivalry!"

"Teamwork?" Kiki asked.

"You didn't kill each other!" Grandfather smiled.

Ishtar started to stand. She grabbed Kiki by the calf and neck again. "The match is over, no more struggling…you have to be healed," Ishtar whispered to Kiki.

Kiki didn't struggle. She laid in Ishtar's hands like she had done when she was littler.

Ishtar walked past the crowd her heart pumping and then stopping. The triagram move that she had done damaged her body but not Kiki's. She had made sure not to kill or harm her friend. She laid Kiki down into the small pond that was the healing pool. Ishtar took a deep breath in to cleanse herself and then she breathed out. She placed her hand on the bruises that she gave Kiki. The bruises healed slowly through her waterbending.

"Why didn't you kill me?" Kiki muttered, her body finally fully waking up from unconsciousness.

"You're my friend. You're like family to me…" Ishtar smiled as she dipped her own arm into the pond. "Do you remember the time when we became blood sisters?"

Kiki smiled. "Yeah, I do…we were sitting here…" Kiki smirked as she pulled her body out of the water. Ishtar leaned forward a bit; unaware that Kiki was talking. Her body shut down, she fell into Kiki's worried face. "Ishtar!" Kiki shouted, shaking her. "Ishtar, are you in there!?"

Ishtar moaned. She coughed up some blood, chocking on it. Kiki waterbended the blood out of Ishtar's mouth. She hit her on the back and gasped as she felt warm blood run out of her leg. "Kill me…" Ishtar begged unconsciously.

"Ishtar! Don't you dare die on me now!!" Kiki screamed, drawing a small crowd of Zuko, Kish, Grandfather, Katara, Aang, Sokka, Toph, Ten-ten, Tamari, Iroh, Axe, and Ashley.

"Ishtar!" Grandfather shouted as he grabbed her by the calf and neck and sprinted up to the hospital ward.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hospital ward…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Kikuyu! Help Ishtar!" he ordered as he kicked down the door, running into the hospital with a force that was unlike any grandfather. Kikuyu moved her slender body from the window because she was watching the fight.

"I saw her use the triagram…she should've known better…" Kikuyu harassed.

"She was trying to prove her point!" Grandfather shouted. "Kiki challenged her."

"I know that! She shouldn't have used the damn move though! You should've never taught it to her!" Kikuyu shouted. She placed Ishtar on a mat and began to stop the blood flow. "Why did you even teach her…?" Kikuyu asked, tears rolling down her face.

"I'm sorry, I never thought that she'd ever use it on a friend…" Grandfather said as he rubbed the tears off of the nurse's face and placed them on Ishtar's wounds. The wounds started to heal rapidly. "You're healing abilities have come a long way…" he smiled.

Kikuyu stopped crying and smiled. "I've known this child since she was born…I birthed her. She's like my own. I would do anything for her…" Kikuyu smiled as she rubbed water onto Ishtar's wounds. "Some of her ligaments are torn but no bones are broken, so she should recover in the same position."

Zuko rushed into the room. "Is she okay!?" he asked, shouting.

"She should be fine after a few days of rest. Back up and fighting I hope…" Kikuyu hissed as she walked away from Grandfather with a bow.

Ishtar opened her eyes slowly. "I feel awful…what happened?" she asked.

"You passed out!" Zuko shouted, his head buzzing with thoughts of worry and confusion.

Ishtar fell back asleep, her hair curling under her head's weight. Zuko sat by her bed and pushed her hair out of her face as Grandfather moved out of the room with Kikuyu, giving them some time alone. Zuko smiled and placed a kiss on her lips. Ishtar woke up and smiled as she stared.

"I hope that you weren't worried about me…" Ishtar frowned.

"Are you kidding me?!" Zuko whispered. "What kind of fight was that anyway!?"

"The kind that I made up when I was a girl," Ishtar grinned as she averted her gaze from Zuko's eyes.

"Sorry…" Zuko smiled as he twirled her hair in his fingers.

Ishtar moved her body over toward the wall. She smiled and fell into another sleep, deeper than the one that she had just come out of. Zuko grinned and laid his head on Ishtar's blankets. He fell asleep with her hand in his.

He loved her. She could tell through the touch of his skin, the feeling of the flame in his body. She smiled as she slept and turned her body toward him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next morning…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar woke up with a surge of coughs. Her mouth gushed with blood and she spat it out in the water basin at the edge of the room. Zuko helped her back into bed, hoping that she was okay. "Why did you spit up blood?" he asked in a tizzy.

"The triagram move was completely dangerous…I should've never used it…" Ishtar sighed. She sat up in her bed.

"I don't think that you should do that…" Zuko whispered.

Ishtar kissed him on the forehead. "I'm fine…I promise," Ishtar sighed.

"You said that before on the ship…" Zuko muttered.

"True…" Ishtar frowned. She placed her hand on Zuko's head and stroked his hair. He felt his love rise for her and he pulled her head away and then kissed her lips, his lusts making him calm and happy. Ishtar kissed Zuko as Iroh walked into the room.

"It's nice to see that you're better…" Iroh smiled, staring at the two lovebirds.

Ishtar let go of Zuko and he sat himself on the ground. "Uncle, what are you doing out of bed?!" Zuko asked.

"I became well…" Iroh smirked. "I'm okay with that…" he smiled, noting that he was okay with Zuko kissing Ishtar and them being together. "I knew that this was coming…" Iroh stated. "It's time that we all had a long talk…" Iroh said as he closed the door.

"What?" Ishtar asked as she pushed her back against the wall and sat there.

"It's time that we talked about sex…" Iroh said.

Ishtar wanted to hurt Zuko. She glared at him and then at Iroh. "I don't think that I need this talk…" Ishtar said as she started to stand.

"You're the one that needs this the most," Iroh stated as he put his hand out in front of her escaping body. Ishtar pulled herself back onto the bed.

"I really…REALLY don't think that we need to talk about this…" Zuko stuttered. Iroh pushed him to the ground.

"Yes we do…" Iroh said. Ishtar was embarrassed as she held her head in her hands. Zuko was staring at Ishtar, his face becoming red. "Now…" Iroh started. "You and Ishtar are going to feel connections to each other as you become deeper and deeper into your relationship."

"I can't believe that _you're_ talking to me about this!" Ishtar shouted, her face becoming a deeper red as she forced her head deeper into her knees and hands.

"Oh Agni…what on Earth…?" Zuko stuttered.

"That's enough you two! Somebody has to talk to you both!" Iroh shouted, becoming angry. "Now, Zuko…you're going to feel an urge when you kiss her. She'll feel it too, but she could actually control hers."

"Oh my God…oh my God!" Ishtar shouted.

"That's enough!" Iroh shouted, his face becoming red with his own embarrassment. "Zuko you're going to want to feel Ishtar."

"Uncle!"

"Well it's true Zuko," Iroh smiled. "You like her…not just like but love! I've been watching you two ever since you first saw each other…I've been watching you disappear into the forest together…what were you doing in the forest together?" Ishtar stared at Zuko. Zuko stared back. "You guys weren't…?"

"NO!" Ishtar shouted. "We just talked! I don't think either one of us had _that_ in mind…"

"I did…" Zuko admitted.

Iroh smiled. "I knew you would've…"

"Really?" Ishtar asked, her curiosity soaring. "I don't think that I did but I might have…"

Iroh beamed. "Young love…" he sang.

Ishtar blushed. She never felt this embarrassed in her life. Iroh was explaining things that her mother explained to her when she was five. Please don't continue…she thought. Iroh was continuing.

"Now, Ishtar, I don't know much about a woman's wanting but I know how to make one happy…" Iroh smiled.

"Oh please don't…" Ishtar begged.

Iroh ignored her. "The way to show a girl you love her, and stop me if you think that I'm wrong Ishtar, is that you have to hold her like she's the last thing precious to you on Earth," Iroh said as he looked over to Ishtar. Her head was back in her hands. "Does that seem right to you?" he asked.

"How would I know!?" Ishtar shouted.

Iroh continued, ruffling his beard. "You can start to strip her but let her allow you to…"

"I'm confused…" Zuko said. "Father used to force mother all of the time…"

Ishtar nearly passed out. "You're never going to force me do you understand?!" she shouted to Zuko as she stood up and walked out of the room, slamming the door.

"Uncle…you knew about that and yet you continued this…" Zuko scolded.

"I didn't think that she'd be so sensitive about it…" Iroh grinned.

"Of course she'd be sensitive…but my question sent her over the edge a bit…" Zuko trailed off as he opened the door and ran after Ishtar. "Ishtar wait up!" he shouted, sprinting for her. She stopped where she was walking and Zuko hugged her. She felt his warmth.

"You told him didn't you?" Ishtar asked.

"Yes. I had to…" Zuko whispered in her ear. Ishtar felt her entire body cringe.

"That's why he told me to stay…"

"But he was worried…you've got to give him some credit for caring…" Zuko smiled.

"You told him! And yet for some reason, I feel better…why?" Ishtar asked as she hugged Zuko.

"Because you hate Zhao…" Iroh grinned. He walked over to Ishtar and held up her chin that was facing the ground. "You hate him…you have feelings for my nephew which means that you trust me…I care…you care…he cares…" Iroh smiled as he nodded up to Zuko. "I'm sorry for the conversation earlier. I just wanted my nephew and you to know that I approved of your happiness together…"

Ishtar stared at him. Zuko's arms were still wrapped around her body as she smiled. Ishtar grabbed Iroh and hugged him as Zuko let go. "I'm happy that you care…" Ishtar said. She let go of Iroh and smiled. "If you want to continue…" Ishtar said as she felt her wrists.

"Okay…" Iroh said, smiling as he grabbed Zuko's unwilling hand. He stuffed them into the room again. Ishtar was curled around Zuko, his arms on her shoulders. "…When the time comes, the sperm will protrude into Ishtar's body and then it will have to fight to the egg…later…you get a baby after nine months…" Iroh finished, his face calm as he talked.

Zuko wanted to hurl. Ishtar clasped onto Zuko tightly, not letting him go. He was feeling very queasy but he knew that staying would make Ishtar and his uncle happy. Iroh smiled after he was done and left the room for Ishtar and Zuko to think. "I can't believe that you forced me to listen to the entire thing…" Zuko stuttered.

"I didn't force you…I just held you down…so you couldn't get away…" Ishtar smiled.

"Force!" he shouted.

"Oh boohoo… He was going to tell us this sometime…" Ishtar smirked as she pushed her head onto his shoulder. "I honestly can't believe that I didn't hurl…" she laughed.

Zuko felt weird. He had all of this new information and he didn't know what to do with it. He wanted to kiss his love but he didn't want that to led to sex. He swallowed the saliva in his mouth and stared at Ishtar's head. "So, do you want to…?" he asked.

Ishtar looked at him. "Not yet…" she frowned. "I'm not going to be pregnant until you become Fire Lord…" she blushed as she poked him in the chest.

"Fire Lord?" he asked, his face lighting up.

"Yes! I'm not going to be pregnant without a ring on my finger…" she shouted.

"What if I don't get you pregnant…?"

"There's always a risk Zuko. You can't stop it…" she frowned. Her mouth reached up to Zuko's mouth. She rubbed his cheeks and smiled. "I don't want to have children until I'm married…" she frowned.

"I understand…" Zuko said. He smiled as he kissed her. She moved her lips and smiled. He pushed his tongue through his lips and swirled it around in her mouth. Ishtar felt his tongue and giggled. She sucked on it and then he took it back as footsteps were heard at the other end of the door.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**My grandma was just diagnosed with a form of rare lung cancer…I'm going to go cry for a while.**

**Please, read and Review. I have a bonus for you all though. Here's what my friend wrote when she thought about Ishtar and Zhao together...**

His lips caressed hers as he held her against the wall. She stared at him in horror as he pulled her hands behind her back. He smirked as he pushed her arms upwards behind her back and pulled her over to his bed. Turning, he placed her on the blankets and kissed her once again, this kiss being as passionate as the last.

"Don't move your hands, that's an order!" he mused, removing his hands and caressing her face with one hand while holding her beneath him with the other. She moved her face away from his kiss, and didn't move as he got up. He went to his desk and pulled out chains. Walking back over to her, he grabbed her wrists and placed them at the sides of the bed.

"Don't move, or I'll kill your friends, starting with the little girl who has the puppy dog eyes!" he sneered. She grimaced as he wrapped the chain around her wrist and tied the chain to a hook in the wall that held the corner of a shrine in place. He walked around to the other side of the bed and tied that wrist up in a similar manner.

She shivered when the cool metal touched her skin, and her breath came in shallow gasps as he started kissing her mouth again. He rubbed his hands through her hair as she grimaced again. Smiling, he pulled his mouth away from hers, and moved his hands to her shirt, pulling it up above her head. He freed one hand for a second as he pulled her sleeve off of her arm and around her wrist before replacing the chain. He did the same with the other hand before removing her leggings and caressing her stomach.

Sweat trickled down her forehead as her stomach tied itself in a knot. He smiled and purred, "You know I'm not going to let the _Prince _have you, my dear! He doesn't know how to treat a _Lady_! You should be lucky that I chose you!" Cackling, Zhao removed his shirt and pants, flinging them in a corner of the room before going over to his door and locking it. She fought a battle in her mind of staying there and keeping her friends, or escaping when her bending abilities came back and freeing them. The only problem with the latter idea was that she wouldn't be able to regain her powers before he took her virginity from her.

He gazed down at her before rubbing his hands down her sides and kissing the base of her neck while she was incapable of fighting back. He moved his lips up, hissing the place where her jawbone rested at the base of her ear, then moving along the jawbone until his lips once again rested on hers. He opened her lips and sent his tongue in, exploring as she mentally vomited. Suddenly, his hands started to unravel the bandage that was tied around her breasts, acting as a bra.

Prison Cell

"Lady Ishtar!" Ten-Ten shouted, arousing the interest of everyone in the room besides the jail guard, who was sleeping. She looked at them worriedly, "She's in a very high level of stress!!"

Zuko seethed at this information… he knew what Zhao was capable of, and he knew that Zhao would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

Zhao's Quarters

Ishtar froze, her face filled with horror before he laughed and replaced the edge of the makeshift bra back where it belonged. He kissed her smoothly, pulling her up towards him, arching her back and then throwing her back down on the bed. He placed himself on top of her, and kissed her gently, his lips smoothly gliding along hers, his tongue dancing in her mouth. Gradually, his kisses became more demanding, his lips pressing into her harder, causing her to be pushed toward the mattress, pulling her wrists. The left wrist became dislocated, and she screamed amidst the kiss before he released her and popped her wrist back into place.

"Stop, please, you're making me contemplate doing something that you don't want me to do!" she pleaded, making him look at her. His eyes were cold, but lust was just beneath the surface, lurking in the shadows of his mind. She mentally shivered, knowing that he probably wouldn't hold back the next time that he decided to do this. She felt his hand on the side of her neck, and suddenly he applied pressure to that nerve, causing her to fall into unconsciousness. He withdrew her from the bonds, placed tape across her thin lips and her cheeks. He rubbed her wrists, returning them to their bonds, and fell asleep next to her, sleeping peacefully while she had a troubled sleep.

A few hours later, Zhao awoke and went to work on his duties, leaving her there for future purposes.


	21. Proposal

I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender!

* * *

Ishtar pushed herself off of Zuko and sat a foot away from him, not wanting anyone, especially her grandfather to know about their relationship. Kiki knocked on the door and walked inside.

"Sorry…" she apologized. "I didn't know that you had company…"

"It's okay Kiki…what's on your mind?" Ishtar asked.

"I wanted to apologized for the battle. I had no right to fight you…especially since you got hurt…" she muttered.

Zuko looked shocked as Ishtar walked over to Kiki's kneeling body. "It was fun to fight you. I haven't fought a real ninja in forever. It was a great exercise. You have grown up splendidly!" Ishtar smiled as she forced Kiki to rise. Kiki hugged Ishtar.

"I missed you so much!" she shouted.

Zuko felt uncomfortable. He sat up and started to move out of the room. Ishtar noticed and smiled. "Kiki, I missed you too," she smiled. Kiki was shocked as she hugged back, her muscles seemingly moved on their own. Ishtar released her grip and smiled.

"Do you want to come train with us when you get better?" Kiki asked. "For old times sake?"

"Sure…" Ishtar smiled as Kiki walked out of the room with a big smile on her face.

Zuko was standing in the hallway. He didn't like Kiki very much. Her smart whit and beating up Ishtar wasn't good in his book. And she suddenly wanted to come apologize? Something isn't right…he thought. When she left the room, he walked back in. Ishtar was sitting on her bed.

"Come with me…" Ishtar asked in an ordering format as she walked out of the hospital room.

They walked down the hallway and Ishtar walked past the servants. They gasped even noticing that she was out of bed and walking. Ishtar waved as she walked and put her finger up to her mouth in a shushing motion to them. They understood and nodded. Ishtar started to trot toward her destination, Zuko only a few feet behind her. He grabbed her hand as she walked up the stairs. She turned and smiled. Her smile was beautiful to him.

She continued her walk up the stairs, grasping Zuko's hand tightly. Ishtar pulled him out into the sunset. She smiled as she walked slowly on the roof. She looked at him with a 'what do you think look?'

"It's very…err…" Zuko said trying to come up with the right words to still show that he was manly.

"You don't have to say anything…" Ishtar said as she pushed her finger up to his lips.

He almost melted at her touch. He never felt like that before, suddenly, after Iroh's talk, he felt more 'connected' to her. He wanted to touch her, feel her body, kiss her neck, and smell her hair.

Ishtar felt the same lusts. She removed her finger and grabbed his face, pushing it against hers. His tongue moved itself into her mouth as she sucked on it, savoring its succulent flavor. He laughed and held her head. She started to kneel to the floor, his body followed. She forced her own tongue in. He tasted it and loved the flavor. He started to push her to the roof and stopped.

He pushed himself back off of the roof and away from her. "You don't want to do this right?" he asked.

Ishtar looked at him pitifully. "Maybe…" she stuttered.

Zuko's eyes became big as she ran toward the door and turned around, waving her hand. He ran up to her and followed. She sprinted painfully to her room and stepped in. She waited for Zuko to run in and she shut the door. She locked it and smiled as Zuko started to kiss down her neck. She moaned with pleasure and started to take off her shirt. Zuko pulled off his own and stared at Ishtar. He breasts covered by cotton bandages that were acting as her bra.

She blushed and looked down at the floor. Zuko lifted her chin up, feeling the tenseness of her body. "Are you ashamed of what he did?" Zuko asked as he pressed his bare chest against her. Ishtar nodded her head, finally erupting the truth. He started to kiss her mouth. "I stand by what I said before…I will never let anybody do that to you again…" he promised.

Ishtar smiled and started to kiss him slowly. He moved her on her bed and kissed down her neck. Ishtar didn't feel right doing _this_ in her grandfather's house. She stopped. Zuko stopped suddenly, wondering what he did wrong.

"I don't want to go all of the way…" Ishtar frowned. "It just doesn't feel right here…"

Zuko nodded his head, placing his mouth on her lips again. She sucked on them tenderly, feeling the happiness of his mind, body, and soul. He started to push his hands behind her back. She pushed him away.

"What?" he asked.

Ishtar looked at him with a sad look on her face. "Never mind…" Ishtar whispered as she pushed the thought out of her head and grabbed him. He started to kiss her neck, working his way down. She giggled and smiled, moving his head back up to her mouth. He kissed deeply, moving her back into the air. Ishtar opened her eyes. She felt horrified.

Is this the way all firebenders make love? Ishtar asked herself.

Zuko smiled as he leaned in. Ishtar wrapped her legs around his waist and moaned. Zuko felt better that she was enjoying this instead of regretting it. He placed his middle section to hers and kissed her again. She wanted to cry but she kept going. She didn't feel that Zhao had left, he was there, in Zuko. She mentally smacked herself and started to enjoy this again. She kissed up his neck, going back down to tease him. He laid her back down on the mattress softly. He smiled at the girl laying in the cotton sheets. He moved his mouth over her skin at the top of her breasts, he looked up to make sure that she wasn't uncomfortable. She looked like she was enjoying him, the kisses that he gave her seemed sweet to her.

He didn't know where to go next since he had only been following his instincts. His instincts now told him to have sex with her but he knew that she didn't want it. She wanted it, but not until she was married. He knew that he couldn't give her a ring. He couldn't propose to her yet. She said that she wanted him to be the Fire Lord before anything. She had higher expectations of him than he had of himself.

He kissed her neck again and laid beside her. Ishtar opened her eyes and smiled. She placed her arms around his neck. He placed his own arms around her waist, smiling. "Thank you…" she smiled as she kissed him and hugged him deeply.

Zuko smiled. He loved to have his love in his arms. He wanted a family though. She wouldn't give that to him until she had a ring. Where could he get a ring to prove his love? Perhaps Iroh knew. Ishtar fell asleep in his arms. He thought about his proposal. What would he say? He did know that he wasn't going to treat Ishtar the way his father had treated his mother.

Ishtar woke up in the morning alone. She threw off the covers and ran out of her room, throwing her shirt on her body. She tied the shirt and ran outside. Grandfather was outside teaching his lesson as Aang was teaching Ten-ten how to airbend. Sokka, Katara, Ashley, Kish, Kiki, Axe, and Tamari were training together. They stopped their training as Ishtar ran across the arena. Iroh was sipping tea under the tree.

Ishtar limped hastily toward him. "Do you know where Zuko is?" she asked.

Iroh looked up at her and smiled. "I believe that he went out for a walk…" Iroh said. Ishtar sat down on the ground. Grandfather walked over to her and frowned.

"What's gotten into you?" he asked. "You're hurt and then you're running?" he asked.

"Yes…I heal quickly," Ishtar frowned as she stood, leaning on the leg that didn't hurt.

"You're in pain…" he leered.

"So?"

"You need your rest. Even your grandmother would say that!" he shouted.

Ishtar stood for a second. She looked up at him and frowned. "Where is she?"

Iroh looked interested as he listened. He sipped his tea to act like he wasn't paying attention and then Grandfather opened his mouth. He closed it and pointed to a gazebo. Ishtar followed his hand and sighed.

Iroh looked away. There was a movement in the gazebo as if a woman was cleaning. Ishtar started to sprint toward her grandmother. She stopped and stared at the beaten face of a servant. She looked inside the gazebo and fell to her knees. A large tombstone was hidden under flowers.

Her mouth closed and then opened as if wanting to say something to the spirit but nothing would come. "Grandmother…" she chocked out. Her body stood from the ground and then walked out. She ran into Aang and glared. "Sorry," she apologized hesitantly. He nodded his head and tried to smile. She continued to walk toward the hospital room. Kikuyu would be there to explain this for her. She walked in and found Kikuyu standing over the bed, pulling clean sheets over it.

"Ah! Ishtar! I was wondering when you'd come back…" she smiled as most nurses would do.

Ishtar looked down into her eyes and searched. "How did Grandmother die?"

Kikuyu's face darkened. She grabbed for Ishtar's hand and squeezed it. "She went out searching for Lord Orkaru and Lady Korma…and you Lady Ishtar," she stuttered. "She never came back…"

Ishtar wanted to cry but she didn't know her grandmother very well. "Thank you…" Ishtar whispered as she walked out, her body screaming with pain.

"Wait!" Kikuyu shouted, grasping Ishtar's hand. Ishtar turned around. "You need some more rest…" she smiled kindly.

"I'm fine…" Ishtar lied. She dislodged her hand from Kikuyu's and opened the door. Katara was standing there. Ishtar looked at her feet. "What?" Ishtar asked.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked. "You still look kind of beat up…maybe you should rest…"

"I'm fine! I don't need to rest…I'm not like you guys…" Ishtar smiled, trying to hide her pain.

Kiki ran up to Ishtar and pushed Katara away. "Lady Ishtar…please rest…" she begged.

Ishtar looked in Kiki's periwinkle eyes and frowned. "Fine…" Ishtar stated as she walked toward her room. Ishtar walked, quickly until she was out of everybody's view and then she walked slowly. Her body wanted to hurl but she couldn't provide enough strength to do it. Her mind was off in another earth. She was confused and oddly enough horrified that she could've been the death of her grandmother. She walked into her room, leaving the door open and collapsed on the bed.

She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep that she felt nobody could ever wake her out of.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko and Iroh…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko started to come out of his walk and sprinted over to Iroh. "Uncle…" he said slowly.

Iroh looked over at his nephew and placed his cup on the stone table at his feet. "Yes nephew?"

"I want to propose to Ishtar…"

Iroh looked at him and smiled. "Why so soon?" he asked.

"I've known her for about two years!" Zuko shouted, holding up his hands and the frowning as he placed them back to his sides. "I think that we're ready…" he smirked.

"Is she?" Iroh asked.

Zuko looked at his uncle's eyes and gulped. "If she isn't, then she can say no…" Zuko muttered.

Iroh looked at the training going on about one hundred yards away. Katara was standing on ice in the water, thinking that she was copying Ishtar and Kiki. Kiki was shouting at her and pointing at Kish who was standing on the water and laughing. Grandfather was shaking his head. Iroh dug in his sleeve and pulled out a small bag. "Here…" he smiled, not looking at his nephew.

Zuko took the pouch and opened it. Inside were two wedding bands. "Uncle? Aren't these your?" he asked.

Iroh nodded his head. "I want you to have them…" he smiled.

Zuko didn't know what to say. He was speechless as he held the two rings in his hand. "Thank you! Thank you!" Zuko shouted as he hugged his uncle. Iroh almost fell over in shock.

He's hugging me…Iroh said to himself.

Zuko smiled, his scar almost disappearing in his emotions. He ran away from Iroh, the bag folded neatly in his hand. He sprinted up the stairs toward Ishtar's room and looked inside the open door. "Ishtar?" he asked, looking at the lump in the bed.

Ishtar opened her eyes and smiled as Zuko walked in. "Where were you?" Ishtar asked, almost laughing as she hugged her legs. Zuko pulled her up from the bed and stood there, bag opening in his hand. "What is that?" she asked.

"Please…will you marry me?" Zuko asked as he bowed.

Ishtar fell back into her bed. She didn't know what to say. She stood back up and kissed him. She repeatedly kissed and then hugged him. "Yes!" she shouted. Zuko was happy and frightened. He pulled out both of the rings and placed one on Ishtar's hand and the other on his own.

"I have to go tell Roku…" Ishtar smiled. "And then Grandfather…"

Zuko smiled. "I'll take care of your grandfather. Iroh knows though…he's the one who gave me the rings…" Zuko smiled as he kissed his bride. Ishtar wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him repeatedly. Ishtar let him go and then ran to the door smiling. Zuko rushed out and ran the opposite direction that Ishtar ran. He was supposed to tell her grandfather while she was supposed to tell Roku.

Ishtar turned around in the hallway. "Zuko!" she shouted. Zuko turned around and looked at her. "Tell Grandfather that I'll be back in the morning!" she smiled. Zuko nodded his head and smiled. Ishtar turned her head again and started to run. She found Royu outside and jumped on his back, reins not there.

Ishtar pulled on Royu's mane and forced him into the sky, her heart pumping out of fear and excitement. She bent down to Royu's ear and whispered, "Royu, I'm getting married…" Royu groaned with excitement and then licked his lips. "To Zuko!" she smiled.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko with Grandfather…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What do you want Zuko?" Grandfather asked as he paced his office.

"I asked Ishtar for her hand…" Zuko smiled, hoping that he wouldn't go ballistic on him.

"WHAT!?" he shouted, stopping his pacing. "You asked her to marry you?!"

"Yes…" Zuko frowned, knowing that it wasn't time for him to smile.

"Where is she?" Grandfather asked.

"She went to go tell Roku, she won't be back until tomorrow morning…" Zuko sighed.

Grandfather held his chest. He was shocked and stunned.

* * *

STOP CALLING ISHTAR PERFECT! SHE'S NOT! I got the years wrong...sorry...

R&R


	22. PREGNANT!

**I don't own Avatar. I wish that I did...but I don't!!**

**Ishtar ISN'T perfect. Grr...**

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar with Roku…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar threw herself into the lake and swam to the bottom. She lit up her hand and swam. Her body emerged on the top of the water, staring at a statue of Roku. Ishtar smiled as she pulled herself out of the water, clothes drenched and clinging to her body. She waited for the moonlight, shivering and not wanting to bend the water off of herself.

The moonlight came in and lit up Roku's eyes. "Ishtar?" he asked.

"He proposed…" Ishtar beamed.

Roku stared and then grinned. "Really?" he asked. Ishtar held out her left hand and Roku took it. He smiled and then nodded. "I knew that he'd gain some courage…"

Ishtar beamed. "Do you accept him?" she asked, wanting him to say yes.

"Of course…anything to make my great great granddaughter happy. If he started to push you around though…come back here…" he frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"His father pushed his mother around. He might've picked up on that…" Roku frowned.

"He wouldn't do that to me…" Ishtar smiled, almost giggling.

"I'm very proud of you…" Roku smiled. He wanted to hug her or give her something other than advice but he was a spirit and couldn't do much of anything. He wrapped his arms around her body for a hug. Ishtar smiled even though the coldness that engulfed her body was frightening. "Ishtar…?" he whispered, frowning.

"Yes?"

"Do you know that you are with child?"

Ishtar was horrified. "I can't be!" she shouted. "I…I…" she stuttered. Her heart stopped, "…Zhao…"

Roku looked at Ishtar. "Zuko didn't…?"

"No. He respects me enough not to…" she whispered as she felt her stomach. "How do I get rid of it?" she asked.

Roku stared at her. "Are you willing to take a life?" he asked coldly.

"Anything for Zuko not to know…" Ishtar sobbed.

Roku wanted to comfort her. He had told her for her own safety. "There is a doctor's office on the other side of the mountain. You can go there if you really want to…" he frowned, knowing that she really wanted to kill the thing that connected her to Zhao.

"Maybe if I…" Ishtar thought. "What if I let him have sex with me…do you think that he would find out?"

Roku stopped frowning. "He might. And then he might not…" Roku said. "Listen, I told you for your own safety. I didn't know that Zhao could've…"

Ishtar pushed herself into the water. "I'll be back in nine months…" she whispered as she dunked herself. Roku nodded and returned to the spirit world to have a stern talk to Kyoshi.

Ishtar bended the water hastily off of her body and held her stomach. She wanted to kill the thing growing inside of her. It wasn't a baby; it was a mark that Zhao left on her. She grabbed Royu and stuffed herself on him. She pulled on his mane and forced him into the sky. He flew in the direction that she wanted to be flown, toward Zhao's ship.

Royu landed on the deck and Ishtar jumped off. She walked down the hallways of his ship quietly. Nobody was walking through the hallways as Ishtar opened Zhao's door. He was sleeping in his bed. She passed the bloody senbon that she had jammed her hand through to open up Iroh's lock. When did I ever drop it? Ishtar asked as she walked silently up to Zhao. She flicked him in the forehead and he woke, cursing.

"Who in the hell do you think…oh…" he smiled as he finally opened his eyes. "Why are you here?" he asked as he grabbed her wrists.

"I'm pregnant Zhao!" she shouted, forcing her hand out of his grip.

Zhao sat up and laughed. "And who proposed to you?" he asked as he grabbed her left hand and smiled at the ring.

"What does that matter? I'm pregnant!" she shouted. "With your child!"

Zhao frowned and stuffed his hand over her mouth. "You can't be pregnant," he stated.

"You raped me!" she hollered, pushing his hand away from her mouth.

"It can't be mine…maybe it's your betrothed…" he smirked as he pushed himself out of his bed and stood. Ishtar pushed him back down, knowing that he'd do something to her if she didn't have more power over him.

"It's yours!" she grinned, folding her arms over her chest.

"How do you even know?"

"Roku told me…" she screamed, pushing the door open and running out into the hallway. She sprinted painfully to the deck and jumped on Royu again. Her only position to be on his ship was to tell him that he got her pregnant. Zhao sprinted up onto the deck.

He stopped and stared at Ishtar. "Get rid of it," he ordered.

Ishtar looked at him. She wanted to wring his neck, kill him and then kill him again in the spirit world. She pulled on Royu's mane silently and he soared into the air.

Ishtar bent over Royu and started to cry. Her body crashed and she wanted to tear apart her stomach. She couldn't help but to quiver as she stepped onto the Odeon Clan's ground. She placed Roku in his stall and walked feebly up to her room. Her body was weak and stunned. She knew that she had to either get rid of the baby or tell somebody about it.

She couldn't tell Zuko. He would take away his ring and never look at her in the same way. She walked slowly in the sunrise and then she came up with an idea. She started to sprint to Iroh's room. She knocked on the door hastily and rushed in as he opened it.

"Were you crying?" he asked.

"Yes…" she whimpered. "I went to Roku and he said that Zuko was the right choice for me…but then he said something else…"

"What was it?"

"He said that I was with child…" Ishtar sobbed.

Iroh's eyes became big. "It's not Zuko's is it?" he asked. She shook her head and fell to the floor.

"I don't know what to do…" she bawled.

"Tell Zuko…"

"But…what if he takes back the ring? I really want to marry him!"

"Then Zuko isn't the right man for you…" Iroh grinned. He grabbed her left hand and attempted to smile. Ishtar's face was soaked with tears and worry.

"Do I have to tell him?" she asked slowly. "I could just get rid of it…"

"You could…but would you ever be able to look Zuko in the eyes again?"

Ishtar looked at him for what seemed like forever. She nodded her head and then stood up from the floor. She opened the door and walked out, her mind buzzing with different thoughts and ideas. Iroh looked at the sun through his open door.

Ishtar walked toward Zuko's room. She stopped at the door and rubbed her face clean of tears and the guilt that she had on her body for wanting to not tell him. She clasped the door handle and opened it. She walked in and walked over to his bed. She nudged him and he opened his eyes. He grabbed her and smiled. He hugged her waist and pulled her on his bed.

She pushed herself off and walked to the corner. She sat on the floor and held her knees. "Zuko," she whispered. "I have to tell you something…"

He walked over to her, his bare chest showing with pants over the bottom half of his body. "What is it?" he asked suddenly worried.

"It's about me and you…" she sighed, wanting to not tell him.

"You're grandfather said that he was okay with us if that's what you're so worried about…" he smiled as he sat down next to her.

"It's not that…" she sighed as she started to cry. Zuko rubbed her shoulder and then wiped a tear off of her face.

"You can tell me anything…" Zuko smiled, trying to comfort her.

Ishtar looked at Zuko in his eyes. She turned her head and pushed her face into her knees. "I'm pregnant…" she sobbed.

Zuko's hand stopped trying to comfort her. His mouth opened but words that he didn't want to come out came. "What do you mean?! It's Zhao's isn't it!?" he shouted.

Ishtar wanted somebody there to hold her but Zuko had walked away. He punched the wall and bent to her. "I wanna get rid of it…" she sobbed. Zuko was shocked. He nodded his head and picked her off of the floor.

"Does anybody else know?" he asked sweetly.

"Iroh does…I asked him some questions…" Ishtar moaned.

Zuko closed his eyes. He punched the wall again. Ishtar could tell that he was beating himself up inside for what Zhao did to her. "I knew that he did _that_ to you…but this…?" he asked, heaving a heavy sigh as he rubbed his bruised knuckles. "Why you!?"

"How would I know…" Ishtar shot. "Should I get rid of it?"

Zuko was surprised that she was considering keeping it. He looked at the floor and then to the girl in the corner. He couldn't look her in the eyes. Her pain and his pain passed through his eyes as he closed them again. "Do you want to?" he asked. "You may not ever be able to become pregnant again…"

Ishtar nodded. "Do you want to take that risk or keep the thing inside me?"

"It's your choice…it's not my body…" Zuko muttered.

"It is your body now…from the moment that you proposed to me…I'm yours, you're mine…" Ishtar bawled as she deepened her head into her knees.

Zuko felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders again. "I want you to get rid of it, yes…but I want you to be able to have children again…" Zuko whispered.

"But Zuko…" Ishtar started. "What if I get rid of it and then I can't have children anymore…?"

Zuko thought. "Then we'll live a happy life together without children…maybe we could adopt Ten-ten legally…"

Ishtar giggled, her tears disappearing. "Do you want to come with me?" she asked.

"Of course…" he smiled. He walked over to Ishtar and kissed her. He still loved her; only he hated the thing that was growing inside her at the very moment that he kissed her. "Where are you going to go?"

"Roku said that there was a doctor's office close by his grave. We can go there so that way nobody else knows but us and Iroh…" Ishtar sighed.

"Fine, I'll go get Royu…" Zuko sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. He walked out of the room and swore. "Damn it Zhao…" he mumbled.

Ishtar held her stomach and wanted to throw up. She held it in and walked down the hallway. She passed Kiki and attempted to smile. Kiki waved to her and noticed that she was upset. "What's wrong?" Kiki asked.

"Nothing Kiki…just tell Grandfather that we'll be back when we can…" Ishtar sighed.

Kiki nodded her head and walked in the direction that she had been going. Ishtar sprinted over to Royu and Zuko. He was already on Royu, his body at the reins, waiting for her to get on behind him. Ishtar pulled herself on behind Zuko and hugged him as Royu started to fly into the air.

Iroh stared into the sky. He saw Royu in the air with Zuko and Ishtar on his back. He frowned, knowing that they were going to go get rid of the fetus inside Ishtar.

Zuko felt Ishtar hug him. He suddenly didn't know what to think. She buried her head into his back and he smiled. She took in a deep sent. "Do you think that Roku could've been wrong?" Zuko asked.

"No…he couldn't be wrong about this," she muttered. She breathed out and then held herself from breathing back in. Zuko turned his head.

"I don't want you to do this anymore…" Zuko stammered. Ishtar looked at him, her eyes getting bigger. "You might never be able to become pregnant again. I want you to have my children but I don't want you to have his child." Ishtar nodded her head in understandment. "I want you to have this child," he blurted. "It's a part of you, so I'll love it as my own…"

Ishtar was speechless. "I want to bear your children and only yours…" Ishtar whispered. "This thing may be a part of me…but I don't think that I'll ever truly love it…"

Zuko made Royu land on the ground. "You're going to have to love this child. It's a part of you but a part of Zhao too. I'm not going to let you kill this defenseless baby!" he shouted as he pulled her off of Royu and hugged her. Ishtar felt his arms around her but she felt her stomach.

"Is this what you want?" she asked.

"Yes…" Zuko smiled.

Ishtar felt him kiss her. She kissed back and then smiled. She pushed him to the ground and Royu started to walk away, knowing to leave the two alone. He started to pull off her shirt and she pulled his off. He smiled as she started to pull off her pants, wanting his body. He pulled off his own pants and started to kiss down her neck. She moaned and finally realized that they were outside, in the open where a soldier could come by at any moment. Ishtar pushed him away and grabbed her shirt and pants. He grabbed his and started to stuff them over his head.

"We have got to find a place to do this…" Ishtar sighed while she pulled on her pants. Zuko smiled, his scar curving up. Ishtar held his hand and walked over to find Royu. Zuko leaned on her, his face suddenly happy even with the mark on his love. He pushed Ishtar on Royu and then got on himself, placing himself in front of her.

She grabbed his stomach and felt her own being lifted into the air. Zuko felt her arms. He placed his hand on top of her clasped hands.

"Do you want this baby?" Zuko asked.

Ishtar stared at the sky. "No."

"Would you take care of it?"

Ishtar looked in Zuko's left eye. This was the eye that was burned and marked by his father. "Would you?" she asked as she lifted her hand up to his scar. She stopped, knowing that he understood her point.

"I would never treat a child the way my father treated me. This baby is a part of you, the woman that I love…" Zuko frowned.

Ishtar squeezed Zuko tighter. "I don't know how to give birth…I've never seen it done before…" she sighed.

Zuko felt his face become hot. "This isn't something that you should be telling me…" he stuttered.

"I didn't know that you couldn't take this…this is something that you should be willing to talk about. You wanted to protect the thing!" she shouted, her mood changing as she loosened her grip on his chest.

"I know…but it's Zhao's…" Zuko quivered.

"How do you think I feel? I have to give birth to the thing!"

"Would you take care of it?" Zuko asked again.

Ishtar looked at the ground just over seven hundred yards below her. I should just jump…life would be so much easier…she thought. "Yes…" she answered.

"I think that I would…but why you?! He could've chosen anybody else in the world except you but yet he chose you!" Zuko shouted.

"Looks like you both have the same taste…" Ishtar smirked. She breathed into Zuko's chest and he pushed her off of him.

"Don't say that!" he shouted.

"Now you know how I feel when you always say stuff about me and him!" she yelled.

"I don't want to fight you!" Zuko screamed.

"Then don't!" she sighed as she pulled him closer, telling him that she loved him just by her touch. He felt relaxed now as they landed on the pavement. "I'm going for a walk…" Ishtar whispered as she pushed herself off of Royu and waited for Zuko to get off.

"I'll put Royu back," Zuko smiled.

"I'm taking him with me…there's a lot that I want to show him…" Ishtar whispered as she pulled on his neck. Royu followed as Zuko pushed himself off of him. Ishtar walked through the garden, holding Royu with his reins until she pulled them off of him. He roamed free by her side, knowing properly that she was his master. He growled and nodded his head as she smiled. "What do you think Royu?" she asked kindly as she stroked his scaly sides. He licked her face and she frowned. She wanted to spend time alone with her dragon but she was worried, not for Ten-ten or Zuko, but finally about herself.

"Lady Ishtar!" Ten-ten shouted as she ran over toward her 'sister'. She stopped running and breathed heavily. "How are you feeling today? Lord Odeon wants you to come train with us…"

Ishtar smiled and moved her hands out in front of herself. "I'll come in a minute…" Ishtar smiled, trying to hide her own worry.

Ten-ten beamed. "Great! I'll go tell Lord Odeon then…" she shouted as she ran off into the sun.

Ishtar shook her head. She didn't want to go train right now, with the pain in her stomach that was both from the thing in her and the punches that Kiki gave her. She pushed Royu toward the training grounds and stood there, wondering what Grandfather was going to make her do.

"Lady Ishtar! Over here!" Tamari shouted, her smile bright as she punched Axe. Axe fell back and blood fell out of his mouth. "I love this place!" she shouted as she cracked her knuckles. Axe rubbed his mouth and frowned.

"I hate this place…" he moaned.

"You're just sad because you keep getting beat up by a girl…" Ashley smiled.

"That's it! I'm fighting Sokka!" he shouted as he shot from the ground and grabbed Sokka by the shirt. Sokka followed him and started to fight.

"Ishtar!" Grandfather shouted. "Over here!"

Ishtar patted Royu and he laid down beside Appa. She walked passed the teaching Aang and student Ten-ten. She stood beside Grandfather. "Yes Grandfather?" she asked slowly.

"You know the exercise!" he shouted as he threw her a chain of kunai and pointed to the trees. Each tree had three white and black plated targets on them. It was about twenty trees in a circle but she never bothered to count them. She walked up to the trees and stood in the center as everybody stopped their training or fighting to watch.

Kiki, Kish, Ten-ten, Tamari, Katara, Sokka, Axe, Ashley, Toph, Aang, Iroh, and the newly curious Zuko came to watch. Grandfather stood in front and he frowned. Ishtar looked at the ground and kicked a branch that was in her path. She placed her left foot in front of her and sprinted up a tree. She pounced off tree after tree to make it to the top. Her mind was on the targets, not the pain in her stomach as she reached the top. She jumped off of the top and started to fall to the ground. She unleashed the kunai in her hand and started to throw them into the center of the targets.

Each one pounded into the middle with a _ping_. Ishtar landed on the ground and then collapsed on her right knee. She threw the last kunai into the target on her right and it missed the center by a millimeter.

"All right Lady Ishtar!" Ten-ten shouted.

Grandfather walked up next to Ishtar and kneeled. "Something on your mind granddaughter?" he asked.

* * *

**I'm tired...Knoebels is fun...I just came back from it and I've been completely bored since I came back.**

**R&R!**


	23. The Son Of An Intruder

**I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender**

* * *

"I'm fine…I've just got to get used to this course again, I guess…" Ishtar sighed as she stood up and walked to the tree. 

Sokka stood in horror. "She just climbed a tree without her hands…" he whispered.

"I want to learn that!" Tamari shouted, suddenly full of pride that she knew Ishtar.

Ishtar pulled out the kunai that had barely missed the target. She held the kunai in her hand and then jumped up on the root. She stood there, connected by the chakra in her feet. She started to walk up the tree without the use of her hands and she bent down to grab the kunai. She held the chain in her hands as she loaded them on. Her mind was stuck on grabbing the kunai and not speaking like she used to.

"Lady Ishtar?" Ten-ten asked. Ishtar looked at Ten-ten upside-down in the tree. "I was wondering if you would watch my lesson with Aang today?"

Ishtar grabbed the kunai at her ankles and nodded her head as she started to walk down a tree. She placed the kunai on the chain and grabbed the rest until she got sixty kunai on the chain. She dropped from the tree and followed Ten-ten and Aang as Zuko and Iroh followed her.

"So you didn't…?" Iroh asked in a whisper.

"Nope. We just talked for a bit…" Zuko answered as he looked at the back of Ishtar's head. Ishtar turned her head and glared with the chain of kunai in her hand.

Ishtar felt something in the air. "Somebody's here…" she trailed off as she jumped into the air and sprinted to the gait. She pulled herself over the gait and sat on the top. She pulled a kunai off of the chain and sat there, waiting. She pushed herself off of the wall as Kiki jumped into a tree and hid herself. Kish followed on the opposite side of the gait and Ishtar sprinted to a tree.

"Everybody inside!" Grandfather shouted as he pushed on Zuko's back.

"I'm going…I'm going!" Zuko shouted as he grabbed his uncles' sleeve and pulled him inside the door. Katara rushed inside with Sokka.

"Maybe I could help…" Aang said to Grandfather.

"No, you'll get hurt. These kids are trained specifically to kill and defend themselves," Grandfather sighed as he walked away from his mansion. He rushed up the steps and grabbed a bow and arrows. He looked for his students and smiled when he couldn't find them.

Ishtar ruffled the bush a bit, signaling where she was to her friends. Grandfather nodded his head as two more bushes shook for a second.

Ishtar stared at the road, her eyes open and staring, waiting for anything to show up. Footsteps echoed in the forest as every body tensed. Ishtar relaxed herself as a noticeably pregnant woman rushed up to the gait. She pounded on it.

"Let me in! Please! Let me in!" she begged harshly. Ishtar jumped out of the bush she was hiding in and waved to Kiki and Kish to stay in their spots. Ishtar moved toward the lady and she moaned in pain. "Please…I need a doctor…" she huffed, begging.

Ishtar nodded her head and went to push the door open but she heard more footsteps. She stopped moving and stood in front of the pregnant woman as Fire Nation guards surrounded her.

"Stop! By orders of my Commander!" a guard shouted to Ishtar.

"Whose land are you on?" Ishtar asked, smiling.

The guards looked around them and then noticed the sign above Ishtar. "The Odeon Clan!" another guard shouted as he nudged the other soldiers around him.

"Only five of you…well…this will be boring. Usually I beat up armies…" Ishtar sulked.

The soldiers quivered and then started to back up. "This Clan kills without hesitation right…?" a soldier asked.

"That's what I've heard…" the other replied.

"Boo!" Ishtar shouted. The guards ran away, screaming. Ishtar laughed and then compelled the door to open. She grasped the pregnant woman's hand and led her toward the hospital room. "I've got you…no need to worry," Ishtar smiled. The woman breathed in and out hastily, apparently frightened for her life. Ishtar faced Grandfather. "She's about to give birth. She needs to see Kikuyu," Ishtar frowned. Grandfather nodded his head and Ishtar moved the lady to the hospital area.

Kikuyu gasped when Ishtar placed the woman on the bed. "She's going to give birth!" Kikuyu whispered.

"I know…" Ishtar muttered. She looked at the woman with sweat dripping down her face. "Do you mind if Kikuyu, the lady who birthed me births your child?" Ishtar asked kindly.

"I don't care!" she screamed, trying to breathe.

"Great! Ishtar, go get me some towels and heat them. Go get me some water too," she added.

Ishtar stood there, she bent over the table and grabbed some towels, and she heated them with a soft firebend jolt and looked out of the window. She grabbed a bowl and bended some water from the pond bellow. "Does this work?" Ishtar asked as she handed the supplies to Kikuyu.

"That's great…are you going to help me?" she asked, holding the strangers hand.

"I'll help you…" Ishtar struggled to say. Ishtar stood beside the woman who was now screaming. Kikuyu was telling her that the baby was coming out great and to keep pushing. Crying erupted from nowhere as the hand that Ishtar was holding loosened. The woman breathed easier as Kikuyu cut the cord and bathed the baby to wash the fluids off of him.

"It's a boy…" Kikuyu smiled as she gave the newborn wrapped in blankets to the mother.

"Oh thank you! Thank you!" the woman said quietly as she held the baby in her arms.

Ishtar stood and stepped out of the room, feeling queasy. She ran to the gait and jumped over it, hoping that the Fire Nation soldiers had gone. As Ishtar jumped, she saw Kiki standing over a guard with a kunai in her hand.

"What did I just tell you fool?" Kiki asked, her voice becoming deep.

"I just needed to see how my wife was doing!" he shouted.

"She's doing fine. She gave birth to a boy…" Ishtar smiled as she landed on the ground.

"A boy?" he repeated so his ears could open. Ishtar nodded her head and smiled as Kiki let him off of the ground. "May I see my wife and my son?" he asked.

Kish looked at Ishtar. Kiki stared at the man with eyes that displayed how she could've killed him if Ishtar hadn't interrupted. "Try anything," Ishtar started, "and I'll have my friend over here kill you," she threatened as she grabbed his arms and tied them behind his back. The man gulped the saliva in his mouth and didn't struggle as Ishtar tied his arms. "Can you firebend?" Ishtar asked.

"Yes…why?" he asked back.

"Try it and I'll burn your eyes out myself," Ishtar threatened again.

"You're a firebender?" he asked.

"You have no idea…" Ishtar smiled as she cracked her knuckles. The man followed Ishtar in the building. Kish was behind him as Kiki was left guarding the entrance to make sure that no more soldiers were coming. Ishtar knocked on the door and it opened almost automatically.

"Why is there a Fire Nation guard with you?!" Kikuyu asked.

"He claims that he is the woman's husband…" Ishtar frowned.

"Come in…come in…" she sighed as she opened the door the entire way. Ishtar walked inside followed by the soldier. He leapt to the side of his wife and started to consul her in apologies.

Ishtar removed the rope around his hands and sighed as she watched the two hold the baby and then laugh and talk as if nothing happened. "Kish, stay here and watch him, I'm going to make sure Kiki hasn't killed anybody yet," Ishtar grinned.

"Okay…" Kish sighed.

Ishtar ran out of the room and started to sprint down the bricks. Zuko walked out of the room. "Zuko! I need you to get back inside…" Ishtar ordered.

"No! I'm not going to stay in there…" he grimaced.

"Fine, just don't get in the way then…" Ishtar consoled, knowing that nothing she said would change his mind. "Follow me…we have to make sure that Kiki didn't kill anybody yet…"

"Okay," Zuko said as he ran after Ishtar. He watched her jump over the wall that separated the Clan's land from the rest of the world. She pushed her head back over and smiled. She lowered her hand to him and he took it. She pulled him up and then he jumped down to the other side. Ishtar landed beside him and then pushed her back against the wall as Kiki stared at Zuko.

"He's not trained for this! He'll get hurt!" Kiki shouted as she held out her katana. Ishtar pushed the sword away.

"He was trained with duel swords, I'm sure that he's okay with fighting a few simple guards…" Ishtar smiled. She nudged Zuko playfully and he understood her playfulness. Ishtar grabbed his hand and threw him into the bush that she had just come from. Kiki jumped into her own bush and then they waited. A few minutes passed. "There was a pregnant woman, that's who I felt…" Ishtar whispered. "She was being chased by five Fire Nation guards. She gave birth about ten minutes ago to a boy…"

"That's nice to know…why was she being chased?" Zuko asked.

"I never got to ask her. She was in labor by then time she reached the gait. I don't even know her name…but her husband came here after she gave birth," Ishtar frowned, her eyes not looking at Zuko but eyeing the path bellow them.

"Why did he come back here?" Zuko asked.

"He was worried I guess. His baby was coming into the world, he'd want to follow his wife," Ishtar scolded. "I hope that you follow me when I'm in labor."

Zuko blushed. "I would," he smirked, his mind thinking about him being there for Zhao's child.

Ishtar pressed her hand over his mouth as she threw a kunai softly to Kiki. Kiki caught the knife before it hit the tree. She nodded her head and jumped out of her bush to scout ahead. Ishtar moved her body. "Stay here. Don't talk, throw this if you need me," she whispered as she handed him a kunai. He grabbed it as she rushed out of the bush and ran after Kiki.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Grandfather and Zuko…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Grandfather stood in his post, bow and arrow in hand as he glared at Zuko, his aim on his back. He pointed the arrow down so he wouldn't hit the new family member. The arrow chinked into the bark with a loud noise that almost made Zuko fall out of the tree. He grabbed the arrow and tore it out, noticing that there was a letter wrapped around the base. He took off the note and read it.

'Welcome to the family. I hope that this arrow didn't scare you but this is how we relay messages to each other, although we catch the weapons so they don't make a noise. If Ishtar didn't tell you, the woman's name is Mikalu Shishome. She gave birth to a baby boy who is named Ryoichi. The father who is a General is in the doors, he claims that he won't do anything to our Clan. If he does, Ishtar threatened him and she will carry out that threat. I know that you are worried about her but I want you back in these walls.'

Zuko finished the letter and jumped on the gait. He fell to the other side and walked up to where Grandfather would be. Grandfather looked behind him and then shock his head. "I didn't mean to come up here," he scolded.

"I'm a part of this family now. I want to help this Clan," Zuko stuttered.

Grandfather glared at him. "These people were taught almost as soon as they were born. Ishtar started her teachings when she was two. Kiki, when she was five. Kish, when he was three. There are more but they're out and about fighting for the war against the Fire Lord. The troops that I do have are working hard for our Clan. You have proposed to my granddaughter. You think that you can just come up into this Clan and hold a main position. You can't! Ishtar has barely held onto her own position through all of these years and she's the best student that I've ever taught," Grandfather scolded.

"Sorry Sir," he apologized, trying to make himself sound good by adding _Sir_.

"You can just call me Lord Odeon," he smirked, knowing that it took both a strong and a foolish man to apologize. He held up his bow and fired another arrow.

Ishtar felt something coming up on her back; it was an arrow. She caught the arrow and smiled as she read the letter.

'I know that Zuko is a part of the family. He's up here with me now. I sent him an arrow that nearly scared him out of the tree that he was in. Continue the path you're following and find the army. Destroy them.'

Ishtar picked at her skin with the knife until she drew a small line of blood. 'No,' she wrote with blood. She tied the paper onto the kunai and threw it in the direction of her Clan.

"What was that about?" Kiki asked in a whisper.

"Grandfather just sent me a letter," Ishtar muttered, her hand coming back to the chain of kunai. She pulled another knife out of the chain.

A kunai knife erupted from the bush and Grandfather caught it. Zuko had ducked, seeing the weapon. Grandfather laughed as he read the letter. "Ishtar is one good listener," he smiled as he threw the letter to Zuko. He read the letter and read the words in blood.

"Is this Ishtar's blood?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?"

"Why blood?" he asked.

"It's just a fluid that's always with you, it doesn't really hurt if you just poke yourself," Grandfather sighed as he raised his bow.

Zuko stared at him and then shook his head. He grabbed at the base of his neck and rubbed it.

Ishtar pushed her body forward, making Kiki laugh. "We're going to have to find the troops and then get them away from the Clan," Ishtar said, her body aching.

Kiki nodded her head and grinned as they came across red flags with a symbol that was a to familiar to her. "Can I kill anybody?"

Ishtar gave Kiki a dark look. "No you can't kill anybody. Is that all you think about?"

"No, I think about settling down and getting married sometimes…" Kiki admitted, her face turning red.

Ishtar stared at her and smiled. The forest was becoming less dense as they sprinted, trying to find the army.

"Stop," Ishtar ordered as she threw out her hand to Kiki. Kiki stopped suddenly, her body wanting to go forward. "This is the army?"

Kiki looked at the pitiful camp. "It looks like they barely even have supplies…" Kiki moaned, her mouth too stunned to speak.

Ishtar smiled. "This will be easy," she laughed. Kiki nodded.

"Ready, steady, go!" Kiki yelled as she threw the kunai as a warning and ran.

"Wait! No killing!" Ishtar ordered.

"You're no fun!" Kiki shouted back, her hand already ready to kill the soldiers.

Ishtar grabbed a letter bomb out of Kiki's hand and shot it into the air. Kiki did the same, knowing that it was a signal and to scare the soldiers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Odeon Clan…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko stared into the sky, his broadswords sheathed. Two bombs exploded in the sky. "They need help!" he shouted, not knowing why the bombs went off.

"That's just a signal they are ordered to give off when they meet the enemy and to make sure that they got there fine," Grandfather smiled as he placed his bow beside him on the proper hook.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Kiki and Ishtar…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar felt the kunai against her thigh as she pounced up to the camp. Kiki rushed beside her and grabbed a soldiers' head. She threw it against the ground and guards surrounded both Ishtar and Kiki.

"They're better than they look…" Kiki smiled as she nudged Ishtar.

"What are you doing here?!" a confident soldier shouted.

"We're here because you're next to our Clan. If you come any further, we'll make sure that you all die," Ishtar threatened. "I am heir of the Odeon Clan. Cross me or my friend and I'll have her kill all of you for fun," she smiled.

"Why don't you just kill us yourself?" somebody asked.

"You guys are way to easy for me…" Ishtar yawned.

The soldiers quivered and they placed their weapons in front of them boldly. Kiki laughed. "I love to torment them before the kill… Can I kill them yet?" Kiki asked, begging. Ishtar shook her head.

"Where is you Commander or General?" Ishtar asked.

"We don't really know…" a soldier answered. "Kane, Ryozo, and Seiichi chased his wife away…they were drunk of course."

Ishtar turned around. "Your Commander has just gotten a new baby boy. The pregnancy of his wife went fine. I hope the drunks know that," Ishtar shot. She started to walk away.

"Are you walking away?" Kiki asked. "But I want to kill someone!" she shouted as she ran after Ishtar. Ishtar jumped into a tree and disappeared behind the bushes.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at the Odeon Clan…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar jumped over the gait. She walked toward the tower that Grandfather was standing in, watching for her. She walked up the stairs. He leered at her with Zuko at his side. "You didn't kill them did you?"

"No, I couldn't…" Ishtar sighed as she bowed to her Grandfather. Kiki followed, she bowed alongside Ishtar and sighed.

"I was ready to kill them…" Kiki smiled. "Ishtar ordered me not to…"

Grandfather leered at Ishtar. "I ordered you to destroy them."

"I couldn't. It wasn't right. They were waiting for the General who is here with the newborn. It wasn't going to be a fair fight if the General left here without taking his crew. And, you know me…I don't kill," Ishtar answered, her head to the floor.

Grandfather smiled at her. "Nice logic. It's understood why you didn't follow my order, you're dismissed."

Ishtar stood up from her bow and grabbed Zuko's hand. Kiki stood from her bow and stayed with Lord Odeon. Ishtar dragged Zuko to her room. She threw him on the bed and started to kiss him. He kissed back while he closed his eyes.

She stood up from Zuko as he tore off his shirt. She ran to her door and locked it. She started to take off her own shirt and she started to kiss him again. He grabbed at her thigh; unsure of where her sudden lusts came from.

She nibbled at his lip and smiled. He groaned and then she was pushed down into the mattress under his body. She started to grasp behind his neck, making him kiss harder and harder. She started to take off his pants. He smiled as he removed hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist again.

"I thought that you didn't want to do this in your Grandfathers house?" he asked between his kisses.

"I don't care anymore…" she moaned, as she started to remove her makeshift bra. Zuko started to peel off his boxers as she pulled off her underwear. He pushed against her, enjoying the fact that he had his skin against hers. She grabbed his back and lowered her arms.

He moved his waist as she stuffed her tongue into his mouth. She giggled as he moved his hands up and down her hips. Both moaned as they pushed each other in and out, knowing that they really wanted each other. Zuko winced when she stopped kissing him.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly, stopping himself from propelling into her body. Ishtar didn't respond. She grabbed his neck and kissed him, making him forget about his own question. He kissed down her neck and to her shoulders. She looked into his golden eyes that almost glowed in the darkness. She closed her eyes and felt him deepen into her body. She moaned, feeling a very familiar feeling cross her body.

They looked at each other in the dark, feeling a fire cross through both of them while they kissed. The short climax was over, making Zuko lean over Ishtar's breasts in complete exhaustion. She kissed his forehead, smiling and then feeling his hair with her left hand.

Zuko pressed his finger on her naval and circled it. His eyes looked down at her body as she giggled. He pressed his hands up to her slowly, caressing her every curve. She closed her eyes and stroked his chest. He moved closer to her, moving his body over hers again. He hugged her and she giggled. She hugged him, her arms placed on his lower back.

* * *

**I don't care if you review with this chapter. It kind of sucked.**


	24. He Knows

**I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

* * *

Zuko moved his arms as if wanting to hug her in his sleep and she placed a pillow in his hands in replacement for her body. He squeezed it and groaned.

Ishtar smiled and dressed herself. She grabbed some clean clothes and threw them on her body. She walked over to Zuko again and ruffled his hair.

"Where are you going?" Zuko asked sleepily.

Ishtar turned to face him and frowned. "I'm going to go see Kikuyu. I have to check in with her after every battle. She checks to see if my muscles aren't torn and stuff…" Ishtar said as she bent to him and kissed him. "If you want to come with me…"

"Sure! Just let me get dressed," Zuko smiled as he grabbed her shirt collar and kissed her harder. Ishtar blushed and she walked out of her room for Zuko to dress.

Zuko opened the door. He gaped at Ishtar, her perfect body glowing in the sunset. "I think that you're drooling…" Ishtar laughed as she grasped his hand. He moved his own hand out of her reach. She smiled.

Zuko nudged her with his shoulder. She nudged him back. They stopped as soon as Grandfather erupted from the corner. "Where have you been?" he asked, almost yelling.

"We talked for a while…" Ishtar lied.

"Where?" he asked, almost horrified as he leered at her left hand.

Zuko looked at Ishtar and then toward Lord Odeon. "The garden!" he shouted, knowing that she went there this morning.

"Yeah, I'm going to go see Kikuyu right now for the after battle check-up. Zuko wanted to come along…" Ishtar laughed nervously.

"Good. He should start to care for his woman now that he wants to get married…" Grandfather sighed as he pushed past Ishtar and Zuko, separating them in the hallway.

"I thought that he'd be a little more…interested on where we were…" Zuko sighed, rubbing the sweat off of his forehead.

"There must be something on his mind…" Ishtar yawned.

"You aren't tired are you?" he asked.

"You wore me out a little," Ishtar giggled. She rubbed Zuko's shoulder and quickly removed her hand as they passed the training area where Kiki was throwing shuriken into a wall. Kiki turned her head and grinned.

"Taking him for a stroll in the romantic park?!" Kiki asked, shouting.

Ishtar glared at her former comrade. "No, I'm getting my after battle check-up," Ishtar sneered, suddenly moody.

"Okay, Okay…sorry _Lady_ Ishtar…" she apologized, pushing her hands in front of her body.

Ishtar grabbed Zuko and led him into the hospital room that was now clear of the pregnant woman and her newborn son.

Kikuyu walked out of the curtain behind the next entry and smiled. "I was wondering when you'd come here…I thought that maybe you had forgotten," Kikuyu smiled, bringing out the stress lines in her face. She grasped Ishtar's left hand and gasped as she felt cold metal. "You're engaged?" she asked, leering at Zuko's left hand to find a ring.

Ishtar took her hand away. "Yes. He proposed to me a while ago. Grandfather knows, he gave Zuko his blessing…I think," Ishtar smiled.

"I was hoping that you would find a man and settle down. But I honestly don't think that you know that Kish proposed to Kiki this morning."

Ishtar held her breath. "Kiki and Kish?" she asked.

Kikuyu nodded her head and smiled as she examined Ishtar's stomach by pulling up her shirt. Zuko stared, nicely greeted by a full view of her makeshift bra. Kikuyu glanced at Ishtar's stomach and gasped. "What?!" Zuko asked, hoping that Ishtar didn't already look pregnant.

"You're wounds…they're still black and blue!" Kikuyu shouted.

"It's only been about three days since her fight with Kiki. My fight marks don't heal until months later…" Zuko sighed as he looked at Ishtar's eyes with a guilty look on his face.

"Lady Ishtar isn't like an ordinary person. Ever since she was born she heals in about a day or two," Kikuyu grinned as she pressed her fingers on Ishtar's stomach.

"I think that I'm fine Kikuyu!" Ishtar whimpered, feeling that Kikuyu's fingers were getting a little to close to where she could find the fetus. Kikuyu nodded and Ishtar threw her shirt over herself and Zuko's eyes became disappointed. Ishtar snickered as she saw Zuko's eyes become dim. She grabbed him and walked out of the room with a giggling Kikuyu.

"She's interesting…" Zuko admitted.

"She's the woman who made me live. Don't go making fun of her," Ishtar frowned as she grabbed Zuko by the waist and kissed him. He pushed her back and rubbed the saliva off of his lips.

"I don't think that we should do this in the middle of here," Zuko sighed.

"Why not? Grandfather approved. Iroh knows. Nobody else really knows though…" Ishtar exhaled, rubbing her neck.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dinner with everybody…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar walked with Zuko to the dinning room. They sat down next to each other and didn't talk the entire time that they had to wait. Grandfather, or better know as Lord Odeon to everybody else other than Ishtar toasted Ishtar and Zuko's engagement. He toasted Kiki's and Kish's engagement as he went on.

Ten-ten shouted, confused. Tamari and Axe started to laugh as if Lord Odeon was telling a joke. Ashley looked at the serious faced Iroh and understood that he wasn't joking. Aang smiled as Katara chocked on the drink that she was sipping. Sokka stared in the middle of the room, apparently not paying much attention to the conversation and wondering why nobody was eating. Toph didn't do anything because she didn't know both couples at all. Kish congratulated Zuko as Kiki leered at Ishtar. Ishtar congratulated Kiki and smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Zuko looked around nervously and then smiled. All waited until the end of the meal.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Kiki and Ishtar…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kiki and Ishtar had been walking through the garden as their fiancés walked around the training area, talking and getting to know each other.

"So Zuko proposed to you?" Kiki asked.

"Yeah, he did…I would never have guessed that Kish would propose to you though. You guys must have really gotten to know each other while I wasn't here," Ishtar sighed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Zuko and Kish…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So you proposed to Ishtar?" Kish asked, holding back a chuckle.

"Yes I did," Zuko answered sternly, wanting to feel Ishtar's body again at his fingertips.

"Good luck with her. I mean, come on! She's going to be so hard to maintain!" Kish snorted.

"I get it! But, we love each other," Zuko tried to smile.

"Listen. Ishtar doesn't do feelings. I don't even think that she was born with them. Hold on…never mind or else she'd just be Kiki…man I'm screwed if we get into an argument…" Kish sighed.

"She has feelings…you just haven't seen her in a while."

"Right. Did you get under the covers with her yet?" Kish asked, almost bursting with laughter. Zuko looked at him. Kish's face became darker. "You didn't?" he asked.

"What about you?" Zuko asked, counteracting his own question.

"Of course. A cold night alone in the middle of a mission, it gets lonely," Kish smirked.

Zuko looked at him.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Kiki and Ishtar…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, did he get you in bed yet?" Kiki asked, snorting with oncoming laughter.

"Why do you want to know that?" Ishtar asked.

"I'm just interested. That's probably the only true reason why Kish proposed to me…I mean, muscles and knives go well together in the sack," Kiki smiled, wanting that feeling to come over her body again.

"When did you grow up!?" Ishtar asked, taken aback by her friend's sexual urges.

"When you left…" Kiki smiled.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Zuko and Kish…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko wasn't talking about his new sex life with Ishtar. It was only once, and it just happened to be during the day that Kish was asking him on. Kish had been nudging him on, wanting him to spill his secrets.

"You're not going to talk are you?" Kish asked, disappointed.

"Nope. There's nothing to talk about…" Zuko sighed, knowing that he was lying about his lustful afternoon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With Ishtar and Kiki…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar defiantly didn't want to talk about her 'life in the sack' with Kiki. She was blushing the entire time.

"He did make a move on you didn't he?" Kiki asked, reading her emotions.

"I'm going to bed…" Ishtar exhaled, knowing that the conversation was going south.

"Aw…come on, did he?" she asked, stepping over her boundaries as a friend.

"Yes. Now go away…" Ishtar ordered as she stepped into the hallway and walked down it, her eyes leering at the path in front of her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zuko almost ran to his room, trying to escape the questioning Kish on everything that he didn't want to talk about. He flailed his arms around and then just shouted at him. Nothing worked until he yawned, feeling the tiredness of his afternoon come onto him. He walked to his room with Kish following, still trying to pry him with information on how Ishtar was in bed. Zuko rolled his eyes as he slid down to the floor. The door was closed and he huffed out a deep breath. Kish had lost his sense of wanting information and he took off his shirt, wishing that Ishtar was in his room to sleep with him.

He crawled into bed and stared into the ceiling. The candles around his room weren't burned out as he smiled. There was a knock at the door and he crawled back out of bed, wanting a certain person to be there. He opened the door and gasped.

"Open the door," Lord Odeon ordered, his dark face lightened a bit by the candlelight of Zuko's room.

Zuko opened the door and stood there. Lord Odeon walked in and stared at Zuko's chest. "What would you like?" Zuko asked, trying to figure his words into sentences.

"I was wondering why my granddaughter took your hand specifically when she could've taken a student of mine…" Lord Odeon frowned.

"I've known her for two years and we've always gotten along. She loves me, I love her. We just love each other. Do you have to ask?"

"You're the Prince of the Fire Nation right?" he asked.

Zuko felt uncomfortable. "Yeah, I am…"

"You've been taught manners right? You know how to treat a woman of Ishtar's standards?"

"I think so…" Zuko muttered, completely worried about his answers.

"You didn't get her in bed yet did you?" he asked, his face almost blowing up at the question.

"Me!? No! I'm very respectful of her…" Zuko lied.

"Then why is she constantly in pain? He abdomen has shifted as if her body was carrying a child," he sneered, walking around Zuko now with a kunai in his hand, pointing it at Zuko's back.

"It wasn't me…I promise," Zuko sighed, feeling his heart slip away.

"Then who did it?"

"Admiral Zhao."

"That name sounds familiar. What has he done to my granddaughter?" Lord Odeon asked, his voice becoming commanding.

"He…he…" Zuko started to say.

"Out with it boy!" Lord Odeon ordered.

"He…raped her…" he sighed.

Lord Odeon dropped his knife. It clanged to the floor as Lord Odeon ran out of the room, wanting to comfort his granddaughter. Zuko caught up with him and grabbed his shoulder. Lord Odeon turned to him and held back a punch. "Why are you stopping me?" he asked.

"Ishtar doesn't want anybody to know. She got mad when I told Iroh and she'll kill me when she finds out that I told you. She lost her dignity to Zhao. I know, believe me, it's bad. But she deserves to be left alone without coming back upon those memories," Zuko sighed, sounding wise like Iroh.

Lord Odeon nodded his head in understandment. "My poor granddaughter, my poor Ishtar. What has happened to her over the years?" he asked nobody in particular.

"She grew up I guess…" Zuko sighed, letting Lord Odeon's shoulder go. Lord Odeon shuddered and started to walk away, almost quivering under the stress of Ishtar's pain.

Zuko tilted his head to the side and rubbed the back of his neck. Ishtar was defiantly going to kill him when she found out that he told her grandfather under pure stress of a knife being held to his back. Lord Odeon turned around. "I guess that I know why Ishtar took you as her husband," he frowned.

Zuko smiled, knowing that he did wrong to Ishtar but right to protect his life. He strutted into his room and sat on the bed, taking in the warmth of the candles. He breathed in and the candles became large. He breathed out and the light became dim. A knock was clinking on his door. He opened it and was pushed alongside the wall.

"What did you do?!" Ishtar asked, shouting.

"Nothing…" Zuko lied as she placed her forefinger on his chest, poking it.

"You told my grandfather about it?!" she whispered.

"He held a knife up to my back! He was planning on killing me I think…" Zuko stuttered as she withdrew her finger.

"Why did you have to tell him…? Do you know how hard it's going to be to escape his grasp? He's going to threaten me and tell me that he's going to rip the thing out of me with his bare hands if I don't take care of it myself…" Ishtar cried.

She hugged him, trying to tell him that she was scared. He hugged her back and kissed her forehead as they slid down the wall. She was cradled in his arms. "Is he really that scary?" Zuko asked.

Ishtar pushed her head into his chest. "You have no idea…" she mumbled.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next morning…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ishtar had gone to her own room late in the morning. She had woken up early and her grandfather had stopped her.

Zuko yawned and stretched as he pulled on his shirt and walked out of his room, towards the training grounds out of pure habit. He stopped when he saw Kiki and Kish staring off into the distance. "What's up guys?" Zuko asked casually.

"Your future wife is tied to a tree by Lord Odeon," Kish whispered to him. Zuko pushed Kish to the side and gawked at a struggling Ishtar tied to a tree with sharp metal as Lord Odeon stood there in front of her holding the end of the string. "We can't hear anything because of a force field made of chakra produced by Lord Odeon," Kish answered Zuko's unasked question.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Why didn't you tell met about this when you first arrived?" Lord Odeon asked as he stood in front of her, leering at her.

"This is why I didn't tell you. I was ashamed. Embarrassed. I hated the fact that this _thing_ was in me. I didn't know when I first came here. Trust me, I would've gotten rid of _it_ before then. I don't expect you to understand grandfather," Ishtar sighed as she moved her arms, trying to get out of the sharp metal.

Lord Odeon stepped close to her as she stopped struggling. He pushed his hand up to the side of her face and felt her skin against his fingers. "What has happened to you over these last five years?" he asked, disappointed.

"I didn't choose this! I was malnourished and…he pressed a nerve on my body…" Ishtar squirmed. She winced as he removed his hand and then slapped her across the face.

* * *

**Please review!**


	25. Just Review

I've started to grow tired of this story...If you still like it review. If I get three reviews, then I'll update. If I get like two or less, I'll send you the remander of what I have reserved in my laptop. Just give me your Email address because it's a very long...LONG remainder.

Zhao comes back and Ishtar fights! You'd really like it but I only seem to get reviews from Aniek. She's really nice, she helps me a lot! THANKS ANIEK! Either way, if you don't like this, then go right ahead and flame. Report me or whatever, I'm in a very sad mood from wrapping Christmas presents the entire night...

Merry Christmas,

Luna


End file.
